Sunrider: Reaper's Vigil
by Silius1
Summary: In the midst of a galactic war, the last ship of the Ceran Space Force: Sunrider has been forced to abandon Cera when it fell to PACT occupation but every member of the crew has sworn to return once they build an alliance strong enough to fight against the evergrowing faction vying for control over the galaxy.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything apart from the words that I write and the characters that I create. Credit for this series goes to the creator of the Sunrider series: the VN company: Love in Space._

A/N: Just as a bit of a sidenote before I officially start this, I am, and will be in all future chapters of this story, drawing a lot of inspiration from the official novelization created by WS246 but I have no intention of any sort of plagiarizing his/her work. In this respect, I am looking through his/her own chapters but I write my own take on the story and expand it in ways I feel are appropriate with my own skillsets and thoughts in mind. I have every intention of writing this story to where Mask of Arcadius ends and possibly Liberation Day if I have the desire to. With the way the game is layered, I will be visiting the subjects WS has used as chapters and write my own interpretation of it in addition to how I plan on creating an occasional short R&R chapter. And lastly, while I've only briefly talked about it in Neptunia and created a rather 'lackluster' (in my opinion) outcome of it in Life of the Soldier, I will be incorporating a larger focus on romance between my protagonist and a love interest I have picked beforehand.

Also, considering what I have said in chapter 16 of my Life of the Soldier story, I am proud to announce this is the fanfic I've been hinting toward since then. Lastly, I am very much seeking an experienced beta reader to help me develop this story, primarily with the battles in mind. If anyone wants to volunteer or knows anyone who is experienced with this kind of thing, point them out to me. Lastly, I want to hear what you guys think of my first attempt at a sci-fi setting like this.

* * *

Humanity has spread to the four corners of this galaxy. With the hardly unexpected side-effect of this development, we have become the dominant species throughout the stars. Yet security is far from assured despite their widespread radius as war is brewing from the northern quadrant of this galaxy as PACT, a faction officially called the People's Alliance for Common Treatment but generally is called by the acronym, has toppled the once mighty and perceived indomitable New Empire which was considered a successor to the ancient Ryuvian Empire, though only by the high class elites of Empire society. This organization: PACT is led by a mysterious individual known only as Veniczar Arcadius whom is sowing the seeds for subjugating the galaxy under PACT's rule as he is rapidly expanding PACT's military with the absorbed Empire fleets and brand new battleships, cruisers, frigates, and Ryders built under the mandates of PACT engineering and expanding their territory by force as the worlds of Rynar (class 10), Minerva (Class 8), Barona (Class 8), and Gerald (Class 6) have been conquered by PACT which has not gone unnoticed by some within the Solar Alliance in the southwest quadrant and the still unconquered worlds within the space called the Neutral Rim, that lies in-between these two factions whom, in theory, enjoy some protection because of the Treaty of Vespa which was signed by the Solar Alliance and the New Empire after the Alliance-Imperial War a hundred years ago which state that the worlds within Neutral Rim will not be conquered in any way by either faction and operate as buffers between them, though the vast entirety of the Neutral Rim is aware that PACT has zero intention of following the treaty considering four worlds have fallen already.

In a system distant from these soon to be approaching clouds of war, the class eleven planet of Cera has enjoyed a brief calm before the storm despite their limited military application, having only five battleships, (with a sixth, classified as a carrier, being under construction at this moment since the expanding military and conquering territory PACT has done has earned a brief spook encouraging this major neutral power to add some numbers to their military, if only one single carrier and a small handful of frigates) twelve cruisers, and thirty frigates making up the entirety of the Ceran Space Force as the Ceran people are heavily opposed to military development since they have a strong isolationist viewpoint and distrust for governments, whom manage military affairs, after their experiences with the tyrannical New Empire a century prior, though even they understand that a lack of military would be an invitation for pirate raids and accepted the presence of military for protection.

In the vast orbital fields surrounding this serene planet, onboard the orbital platform: Tyr acting as both a resting place for the Ceran navy and a conduit for secondary command structure for the military as the primary civilian and military leadership operate from the capital: Cera City, onboard the prototype carrier under production: a ryder pilot named Ryland Evans, wearing the standard red and white ryder uniform of the CSF, sporting jet black hair tied into a small ponytail and blue eyes, walked through the pristine silver hallways of the station as he was called by the residential admiral on site in charge of the garrison, meeting many soldiers along the way rushing forward and behind him to reach the hangers for their ryders or ships to prepare for the possibility of battle, Admiral Bryant Koris who wanted to speak with him in person and met the aging officer in the main command center with several other officers spread out throughout the room, monitoring the immediate airspace in large thanks to surveillance efforts performed by the smaller frigates

"Admiral Koris, you wished to meet with me?" Ryland rapidly and briefly saluted as he began his greeting with the admiral.

Hearing Ryland speak made the admiral turn around to face the man who addressed him who carried his usual stern expression, returning the salute in turn, as he looked toward the young military officer in front of him with a small smile "Indeed Commander Evans. I wanted to congratulate you on your promotion from Lieutenant Commander. Your parents would be proud of your rank."

"Permission to speak freely Admiral?" Ryland's eyebrows subtly twitched at the subject of the promotion even though he kept his facial expression crystal calm.

"Permission granted."

"I appreciate the congratulations Admiral, but you said you had urgent business to confer to me and I want to get it addressed while our status is orange. I wish to return to the Bohemian Princess ASAP."

"Your desire to get into the field is admirable, but I have a different assignment for you this time."

"A different assignment sir?"

"Yes. You will not be rejoining the Bohemian Princess for the time being. I'd like to ask you to temporarily join the crew of our newest ship, the Sunrider and help test their ryder deployment systems before they receive their own Ryders on Wednesday. High Command wants to make sure the ship is ready for deployment before the day ends. The situation of crew complement is a lesser concern at this time since it was designed to operate with a skeleton crew of fifty and it is already at that size though we are planning on tripling the size of the crew within the next four days with priorities on engineering, medical, security, and ryder personnel."

"Understood sir. I'll leave for the Sunrider immediately."

* * *

With a final exchange of salutes, Ryland departed the command center to return to the hanger holding the standard issue red and white Ryder he was issued, that he named Destiny, and during the flight to the construction dock holding the new ship he was requested to join and assist, Ryland took to the habit he took when it came to flights to pass time and inspected his military profile once again, which has just recently been updated since he had just gotten a promotion from Lieutenant Commander to Commander

' _Name: Ryland Evans_

 _Age: 28_

 _Rank: Commander and ryder pilot aboard Ceran battleship 3: Bohemian Princess_

 _Background Recognitions: Ryland Evans stands as the oldest offspring of the famous Ceran military family Evans which holds great pride on Cera._

 _Heavily experienced with ryder piloting techniques from Ryuvia, the New Empire, and the Solar Alliance to an even greater extent than Admirals Aria and Lars Evans. This feat heavily comes from his background of beginning ryder combat simulations at the age of 10 and enlisting in the Ceran Military Academy at the age of seventeen after graduating early, at the recommendations of Cera's admirals, from Horizon high school in the capital with top marks in addition to how the Evans family have visited core worlds of New Eden (prior to the uprising of what became PACT eight years ago), Solaris, and Ryuvia among many others._

 _During his time at the academy, he was praised for his leadership potential, his ability to calmly analyze the battlefield even in the midst of chaos, and low-level ryder maintenance when he was given a simple ryder among the CMA's inventories which was standard protocol for all up and coming ryder pilot trainees as a means of learning how to use them, which was remarkable since most pilots leave any degree of the subject to their partnered engineers but Ryland preferred to handle anything that didn't involve reconstruction on his own but had the sense to defer to his assigned partner and one of his childhood friends who lived in a different part of the capital where he was born and raised: Mei Watari when he found himself overwhelmed or confused on which course of action to take which shows his ability to work with others and even sought engineering lessons from his partner as a means of having independence and the ability to perform anything that is needed, in his own words: 'While I am aware that I will have the support of the entire Ceran Space Force behind me, I want to prepare for the possibility of me being stranded from everyone else for an extended period of time, even if it is unlikely. A good soldier and member of the Evans family prepares for any contingency to the utmost of his or her ability.'_

 _In addition to his engineering knowledge, his performance in simulated ryder combat has earned great favor, particularly noticing his excellent ability of crowd control and evasion in what the teachers call horde mode. In the mode's history of use, a well rehearsed team of six named Slipstream eight years ago set the record of longest survival at a half hour that took all of their effort to pull off but Ryland astoundingly broke that record singlehanded though he has said, and confirmation was proven by the supervisors, that he had to focus extensively on melee combat with a laser sword for over ten minutes and dodging the digitally created versions of Empire and Alliance ryders until he ran out of energy for his ryder outright and was finally defeated though it earned the recognition and envy of his fellow trainees._ '

"The admirals really have that fixation on focusing on my successes when I've had my fair share of failures because of my family history. Embarrassingly simple ones too, like those times in the continuous mode sims where I forgot to restock ammunition or fuel for my ryder inbetween takes. I may be more skilled than the average soldier granted, but I'm still a human being and prone to make mistakes just as much as anyone else." Ryland stopped speaking to himself for a moment as he just received a memo from Koris with the list of Sunrider's current personnel "I'm actually a little surprised that Mei wasn't asked to transfer to this ship as an engineer since I like to think she's acceptable for the role, if not exemplary."

To his mild shock, the interior of his ryder began to light up as the built-in communication system activated and a small holographic image of a girl's face, the individual having a blue colored tint because of the low level display system because it was installed onto a ryder since starship type systems are far more detailed, noticing her usual pair of glasses on her face and all but the bottom tips of her shoulder-length hair are visible in the display

"Speak of the hypothetical devil Mei. I just had you in my thoughts a little bit."

"Really now? May I ask what you're thinking, or is it something I would need to bleach my brain over considering your perverse nature?" Mei clearly had been pulling another one of her jests considering she's covering her mouth and carrying the tone easily recognizable belonging to a jokester.

"Once again you make claims of me that are utterly illogical. I do not succumb to physical desires like that. I am temporarily being transferred to our newest warship, the Sunrider to help test their systems and I'm surprised you were not assigned to the crew. I just received a record of the crew and didn't see your name in the list since you have a very good record with engineering among the others from the Academy."

"Oh that? I actually have been Ryland. I was handpicked as the chief engineer for the Sunrider. I'm due to set up shop the day after tomorrow. I'm just packing up my lab here in the polar region in preparation for the move. By the way, how's Destiny there treating ya? Any defects or anything I need to hammer out?"

"I've had no complications with this ryder Mei. Though I will say I'm not exactly fond of how low-speced these real ryders are compared to the ones I use in the simulator."

"Of course, of course. Your standards are spoiled because of your history. Look Ryland, I really need to get these things packed. Can we please talk later?"

"Sure. Later Mei."

* * *

With this holocall ended, Ryland reached the dock that is holding the completed Sunrider and stopped as his ryder reached the exterior of the docks holding the ship, having noticed a shuttle approach minutes before him and enter the ship's hangar "Sunrider, this is Ceran ryder Destiny from the Bohemian Princess. Requesting permission to board per request of High Command."

"This is Sunrider bridge control. Your request is approved Destiny; opening our hangar doors now."

When Ryland sees the doors open, he slowly approaches with his ryder, enters the hangar of the carrier ship, docks at slot 00, and exits the ryder as he climbs down to the ground floor below the catwalk as he bares witness to two individuals he recognizes from his past before he left to attend the academy's polar division.

"Kayto, Ava, you two are members of the crew here too?" Ryland was surprised seeing his childhood friends for the first time in a decade since he had been training in Cera's polar military outpost dedicated for the training of their most elite operatives for a number of years. Normally he keeps a good deal of professionalism in his speech when he speaks with just about anyone, but he does carry his soft spots when it comes to those he declares close friends or members of his family.

"Ryland!" Kayto was the only one of the pair who had an expressive desire over their reunion as both exchanged friendly handshakes while Ava retained her usual professional and stoic mindset as she moved with calm purpose.

"So you were the one High Command sent to help test our systems? At least it's someone we know and someone I trust to be competent. It's good to see you Lieutenant Commander Evans."

"Actually Ava, I've just been promoted to Commander. I've been told that I would be at a higher rank by now if I wasn't so fixated on being a ryder pilot. I was recently teased over how I could've been given command over one of the smaller frigates to start my stint as a Captain."

"Well congratulations then Commander. I am the executive officer for the Sunrider: Ava Crescentia. I'll be acting as a much needed advisor to Captain Kayto Shields here. I plan on giving our new captain here a tour of the ship under his command, do you wish to accompany us?"

"I may as well, but the admirals will likely want to keep this brief since they want me helping test my ability to launch into battle. But you're the XO here, so lead the way Ava."

* * *

With a simple nod in acknowledgement, the trio took to exploring the ship's five decks, though they ignored two decks since they were entirely dedicated as crew's quarters since the Sunrider was made to be able to house up to two hundred crew members though it is easily operable with a skeleton crew of fifty, as they visited the CIC (Combat Information Center), the engineering platform, the ship's medbay, the mess hall, the ship's holo ryder simulator similar to the ones used in the Academy, a secondary simulator room meant for non-ryder practices like training regimes for the security personnel and lastly an observation deck for more casual relaxation purposes and while Kayto wanted to see more, the normally pristine shiny silver colors quickly changed to a dark crimson red in addition to the ship's klaxon ringing out throughout the halls and through one of the nearby intercoms, the source of the distress was made clear

"Commander Crescentia, long range scanners have detected unknown signatures about to exit warp at the edge of Exar 4!"

"Exar 4? That's only two planets away from Cera. We need to return to the bridge Captain. Commander, hurry to your ryder and get ready for deployment. You have it outfitted with lasers am I right?"

"Only so. I'll need help to take on anything bigger than ryders or small frigates, but I'm prepped for combat." With this being explained by the pilot regarding his ryder's armaments, he then quickly dashed in the direction of the elevator to return to the hangar and get ready to test the ryder deployment system under duress.

* * *

It took only minutes for Ryland to reach the hangar from how quickly he was running as he climbed the ladder to the catwalk, running toward and dove into his ryder as soon as he had opened it and quickly activated it, making sure all systems are optimal as he was quickly ejected out into the expanse of space through the Sunrider's sliding bulkhead near the fore. As soon as the Destiny was dispatched, it caused the ryder to rattle since the launch was not optimal because this was the first time being used and it gave him a fair amount of discomfort

"Agh, that was a rough launch Ava. The system needs tweaking. I don't want your future pilots getting sick when they have to go into battle after all." Ryland gripped his forehead as he developed a mild headache from how he was launched with an untested system in addition to how rushed he had to be sent out to battle.

"Remember that you were told that you were to test our systems commander, so you had to find these flaws and help us correct them so no one else suffers them in the future." Ava spoke with a fatally critical tone through a vocal only transmission vector and made it clear she would hear no complaints.

"Damn it Ava. You're treating me like a test dummy and I won't-" Although Ryland knew that this was part of Ava's nature because of her dedication to authority and the chain of command, he genuinely wished she would have some degree of concern over his safety but he was forced to stop this train of thought as the source of the signal made itself clear: PACT missile frigates rapidly approaching the largely inert from construction Sunrider "We've got PACT frigates on an intercept course! Sunrider, pull out of port fast!" After readjusting his position to face the direction the frigates are coming from, he extended the laser that comprises the left arm of the ryder and as soon as he locked onto one of the frigates in the navicomputer, he charged the laser and let it fire true against the frigate though it changed its coordinates just as quickly and it earned him their attention as a full salvo from the frigate he targeted and the other target, he quickly realized, was the Sunrider "You have a missile salvo incoming! Get out of there Sunrider!"

Despite his drive to protect his new (even if temporary because of this transfer to test their systems) ship, he still had to keep himself alive and did his utmost to repulse the missiles with the pulse configuration of his laser weaponry to shoot against the missiles rapidly advancing on his position since his ryder was not equipped with any sort of manual or automatic defensive measures against rockets or missiles but he quickly saw the missiles fired by the other frigate hit the dock holding the Sunrider and explode into a huge burst of fire, blinding any and all sight of the newly finished ship "NO! Sunrider, what's your status?! Sunrider!" Despite his repeated transmissions to the private frequency owned by the Sunrider which is dedicated for its carrier ryders, he was unable to pick up an answer from the carrier.

To his relief however, the ship quickly sailed out of the small inferno with no hint of damage to the hull whatsoever and quickly moved to unite with the Destiny and with his composure regained, both fighters unleashed a barrage of trinities against the two frigates, quickly destroying them both with their laser weapons.

"Sorry for not responding Ryland. That blast knocked out comms for a second. Anyway, it looks like we've annihilated the force PACT sent our way."

"Don't get cocky Kayto. Trust me, that was likely just a scouting party meant to gauge our defenses. We need to regroup with the rest of the fleet before the others arrive. We're too exposed out here, we need support from the others."

* * *

Recognizing that this is a good call, the two figures went to regroup with the rest of the Ceran Space Force, and just in time as the radar systems of the fleet combined picked up nearly a hundred different ships began dropping out of warp outside orbit of Exar 4 nearing the defensive garrison assembled around Tyr, recognizing nearly forty to five more missile frigates the same number of cruisers and a handful of battleships and carriers among the vast force facing down the Ceran navy which is outnumbering the defenders three to one, though in a small way, the PACT invaders are focusing on a quantity over quality mindset since they seem deadset on overwhelming Cera with numbers while Cera has been known to take a different approach with their military since the public had an aversion for oppressive governments and expansive approaches so they decided to focus on quality of its soldiers, officers, pilots, and ships to compensate.

As the fleet begins to branch off in preparation of minimizing potential damage from the missiles, the five core battleships: Bohemian Princess, Praetor, Elysium, Gallant, and Fearless each play host to one of five Cera's leading admirals: Bryant Koris (whom has quickly departed Tyr when the signatures of the two initial missile frigates were detected to return to his flagship), Aria Evans, Lars Evans, Ise Ariteru, and Hirano Noriyasu respectively, take the charge and move in front of the smaller cruisers and frigates while also maintaining distance from PACT and showing that they are not afraid to stand their ground against these invaders but Ryland began seeing the PACT fleet shattering their strong formation as radar picks up one more ship dropping out of warp, all appearances showing it's nearly four times bigger than any of the battleships belonging to Cera and took its place in the middle of the dispersing fleet

"Oh dear Ryuvian lords." Ryland was struck with fear at the sight of the massive ship facing them all down as a message is quickly seen, being transmitted from Fleet Admiral Koris, to his ryder and the rest of all their forces based on the contents, telling him to shut down his weapons and fall back with the revelation that the massive juggernaut is PACT's super-dreadnought class warship: Legion being made clear, though Ryland slammed part of the chair he is sitting on in anger when he sees that the five admirals are urging the prime minister to unconditionally surrender in order to preserve the CSF and the civilians on the ground though he was quickly regained sense when nearly a hundred lasers was sent from the Legion which quickly began to convene into a single wide arc which quickly advanced toward the fleet

"Ryland, that beam is going to hit you! Get out of there!"

This distressed cry from Kayto brought the pilot back to reality as he had only moments to analyze the field and realized that even if he attempted to flee, there were no available vectors for him to run to and knew there was only way to survive the blast

"Sorry Mei." Ryland groaned as he swiftly worked the controls of the ryder Mei had built for him which released a hidden trigger switch and he pulled it, with a blast seal being closed around him as a small segment of the ryder's head was released and sent flying as, while it is very weak since it was never meant for extensive use, most common ryders have a basic engine and automatic tracking system that allows for pilots who have lost their ryder to return to the nearest friendly ship, and as soon as he found himself freed from the main frame, he witnessed the main body of the ryder destroyed and the beam hit nearly every ship in the CSF aside from Sunrider, Elysium, Praetor, five cruisers, and ten frigates who just barely avoided getting hit or having overloaded their electronic shielding systems to survive the Legion's laser assault; recognizing the Fearless venting atmosphere and the lifeboat chutes opening showing that the crew is evacuating the ship, and to his dismay, he witnessed the destruction of the Bohemian Princess and Gallant, that loss showing that Koris and Ariteru are KIA, alongside nearly every other ship the Cerans had "No way...that juggernaut just about destroyed our entire naval military! One single salvo? Impossible..."

With the automatic return system in full effect, Ryland could only stare aimlessly at the damaged wrecks of the still surviving ships and the wide open fields where the proud Ceran vessels before their destruction stood in defiance toward PACT, though one of the worst losses he witnessed was the destruction of the orbital platform Tyr which was always something of a second home for the men and women in the Ceran military. After successfully reaching the exterior of the hangar doors, he saw the Legion charging its primary laser cannon blasted through the remnants of the fleet, destroying three cruisers and seven frigates in the process, leaving only Sunrider, Elysium, Praetor, two cruisers, and three frigates intact; filling Ryland with dread seeing that the Legion has singlehanded wiped out forty of Cera's ships and worse of all, the target of the blast was not any of the ships of the CSF but the capital: Cera City, and when the bright red dissipated, Ryland lost what composure he had when he saw that the entire peninsula the capital was built upon was nuked by the blast which easily claimed the lives of at least ten million people, the proud metropolis that served as a proud representation of one of the Neutral Rim's strongest powers, which was built and maintained over the course of centuries, being exterminated in mere moments "No way...all these people. Why would PACT go that far to conquer Cera?! It's one thing to attack military targets resisting with their lives, but nuking civilians?! That's extremely unethical!" Ryland truly wished he had not paid witness to this horror when the hangar doors opened and pulled the remnant of his ryder inside after seeing this tragedy, letting it land on the ground in front of the slots meant for the ryders, feeling the pressure of the warp drive as he did his best to exit the remains of his ryder, being shaken to the core as he struggled to maintain his balance.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: While it certainly is taking its time in the story, in the next chapter you guys are going to learn why I named this story: Reaper's Vigil. While this is a short entry granted, since people have been asking me in both reviews and PMs when I would be updating this story next, I figured I kept the fire dim too long and should ignite interest again.

* * *

Nearly two weeks have passed since the horrendous 'Last Stand of Cera' which forced the prototype Ceran carrier: Sunrider to flee their familiar airspace, being all but stranded in a distant system to avoid destruction from PACT forces who assaulted their ancestral home and with that crushing defeat lingering in the hearts and minds of the small crew of the ship, particularly the death of so many Ceran military officers and soldiers, attempting to maintain morale was difficult though they all did their best to hide such unease through their double shift work of repairing the damaged ship as best as possible, though when it came to working with the ship's reactor in the engineering bay, the only one among the roughly fifty member crew with any sort of technical skill in this regard was Ryland himself because of the lessons taught to him by Mei and because of how crucial it was to maintain power, he has chosen to set up a cot in the room itself instead of the rooms dedicated for Ryder pilots for a carrier of this size, and the doctrine of the Ceran military to begin with since they generally want their pilots to have a higher level of quality in their living quarters rivaling officers since they spend every battle out in the field instead of the relative safety of their ship. Those brave men and women risked their lives to an even greater extent so they believed their luxuries should be at a higher level, the concept of risk versus reward was their major mindset in this, however this is one luxury Ryland is sacrificing at present since he technically is not a ryder pilot with the loss of Destiny and with the Sunrider at risk the way things are, he does not want to be too far away from the reactor in case danger strikes.

During these two weeks however, morale among the crew has been low as they've been working such long hours and had access to minimal to no means of recreation to get their minds off the loss of Cera in addition to so many officers and soldiers in their space force and the loss of Cera's capital, and when Ryland and a few other crew members attempted to alleviate such depression with a game of cards, Ava found them as they started and told them off, saying that doing such things when they are military personnel is disgraceful though Ryland was able to convince her to back off just this once since they need a distraction, with a promise that they would not gamble since this particular game is infamous for such things happening and with this condition in place, Ava worded her response saying she would allow it this once to alleviate morale though Ryland felt like she was masking the true intention behind her military-trained stoicness, which was a subtle dismissal of accusation since she understands that a crew with destroyed morale will have little motivation to do their duties without being impressed to do such things. Although he was promoted to commander because of both his family lineage combined with his prowess with ryder combat, it was largely ceremonial since he had little aspiration toward actual leadership positions, even he knew that everyone needs R&R to avoid breaking down from stress.

"Geez. We really need to get this ship professionally repaired. We've reached the limit of what we can repair with extremely limited resources and near zero infrastructure. Honestly, we had to use what little remained of Destiny to repair a damaged aft section, same with our repair drones. I really hope Kayto and Ava have some sort of plan since we're dead in the water right now. We have no ryders, limited power for our trinities, minimal hell darts and saviors since we only got a bare minimal ammunition shipment from Cera, though this was ship was still being constructed, so I guess that's to be expected, they didn't want anything dangerous around until the ship was fully built; if we get caught in battle, we're in trouble." After silencing his thoughts for a brief time to focus on the routine maintenance checks of the engineering bay and after seeing that the conditions are still green, he walked toward a nearby intercom and hailed the CIC where he suspected Ava would be "CIC, this is engineering. We're hardly at one hundred percent, but all remaining systems are green. I've done everything I can considering I'm not a professional engineer but all non-critical systems have been either deactivated or reduced to twenty percent and I've rerouted that power to our other systems. Unfortunately, we took a few too many hits from Legion which fried our auxiliary shield generator yet it was still connected to the reactor which was a major risk to crew safety. I've managed to figure out how to separate it from the grid after two full days without sleep. I've diverted that power as well. We're going to need a proper engineer to get our systems repaired and back online without incident."

"Acknowledged engineering. Report to the CIC, the captain and I wish to speak with you regarding our current course of action commander."

"On my way."

* * *

Ryland always did consider it a strange design decision to have the engineering bay on the same deck as the CIC when it ought to be in an isolated corner but it's more a boon in this situation since he doesn't have to walk too far to reach the respective room, quickly entering and finding Kayto and Ava in the center of the room, surprisingly alone since none of the crew, save critical bridge personnel, are around, though Ryland suspects they are at work in other areas of the ship

"Glad you could make it commander. The captain and I have decided to take the ship to the neutral world of Tydaria for repairs and supplies. It's a neutral world which should be safe from PACT. But I wish to get your opinion as well considering you have experience traveling the galaxy. Is there any place you'd consider ideal for us to lick our wounds?"

"If you want my opinion, the Mining Union is going to be our best option considering PACT's conquering worlds left and right out here in the Neutral Rim. I've never had any extended contact with them sure, but their staunch neutrality and lack of interest in supporting either PACT or the Solar Alliance to any great extent may be an asset in of itself. As it is right now, we're not exactly equipped for drawn out battles but if we can get one of the Union's ryder mercenaries, we may be able to handle some battle until we can get the Sunrider fully stocked with ammunition. Hell, if we can acquire a ryder itself I can get out there and fight for you guys."

"Well Ryland is in agreement so let's head out there Ava. Set a course."

"Very well captain. Set a course for Tydaria."

WIth the order given, the crew activated the ship's warp drive with a destination in Tydaria in mind to restore the Sunrider to peak efficiency, arriving at the edge of the system as a measure of preserving fuel as they had expended over half during Kayto's insistence on maintaining beacons to contact the scattered remnants of the Ceran Space Force, to no avail since Ryland and Ava believed that they have either gone rogue or been impressed into the PACT fleets considering that what remained of Cera's civilian government had been utterly demolished nearly a week after the initial invasion, urging Kayto to stop in the fear that PACT would detect these efforts and kick them when they're down.

But not long after they restarted their trek on the way to Tydaria proper, what little worked of the Sunrider's radar systems began to ping

"We have unknown targets on an intercept course captain, their signatures report both ryder and conventional spacecraft. We're being hailed by whom I presume is the leader."

"Let's see who it is."

As the trio readjust their positions to surround the holoprojector, a young looking girl with dull gold hair and silver eyes wearing a dark violet colored ryder suit appeared above the projector itself where such things would appear when the Sunrider is contacted through these means

"Hahaha!" Moments after the holographic display of the girl appeared, she let out a rather cliche, yet still threatening to an extent, villainous laugh which rang out through the room "This is the infamous pirate ryder: Havoc; get ready to lose that pretty little ship of yours cause we're taking it for ourselves."

"Ugh, pirates. You all disgrace the proud name of ryder, piloting such noble vessels for your own warped ambitions."

"You dare bad-mouth me in such a-!" The pirate girl shouted in unbridled anger as she turned to face Ryland, studying his person before her expression turned even more venomous "YOU! Tell you what, turn over that man there and I may actually let you go."

"Forget it, we're not turning over our friend." While Ryland considered it par for the course for him to refuse said offer since he and Kayto were both members of the Ceran Space Force and old friends, he was still glad to know he didn't hesitate for a single second to respond to the pirate with a response practically bordering 'Bugger off'.

"Then you'll die alongside him!"

* * *

With this angry retort, the holographic display disappeared as Ava and Kayto shifted their gaze toward Ryland

"Commander, what exactly did you do to tick this girl off to the point where she wants you dead?"

"Don't look at me like that Ava. I have no flipping idea why she hates me this much. Best guess, she mistook me for my father since we look practically alike. Kayto, Ava, I know you two are the leaders here and all, but you mind if I take the reigns and act as a military consultant in this battle since I can't go out into battle this time round?"

"Considering you are the eldest child of the famous Evan family, be my guest commander. We're in difficult straits so we must fight with the utmost strategic capability we possess."

"Thanks Ava. Let me think. We're up against two old Imperial Mark 2 class ryders used before the Compact took down the New Empire, a customized version of the same class based on the frame's design but with what I'm presuming to be a chainsaw sword and a high-velocity rocket canister added to the hull, and two pirate destroyers. I've been involved in battle with such vessels once or twice when I traveled with my parents. Provided they possess the same armaments as the ones back then, they should only have trinities and hell darts. While they're certainly going to be dangerous against us captain, they're too far away to have a significant impact against us at the immediate moment, but we likely only have ten minutes until they arrive and give us hell. We should focus our arsenal of trinities and what few missiles we have left against the ryders before the destroyers make it to the battlefield. We don't have the means or luxury of predicting our enemy's locations to where they'd be at moment of impact so we're going to have to focus on where the ryders are the moment we fire, but we should still be fine; those old Imperial ryders have crap agility and we _are_ dealing with pirates so their ability of strategy will hardly match that of a professional tactician. We need to shore our defenses against their missiles to the best of our power while maintaining an offensive; have the crew maintain full alert with our flak turrets. That girl is clearly throwing strategy to the wind based on her rapid speed since she's after me so let's give her a taste of our weapons and show her that the Ceran Space Force, while disbanded according to the old government, will not be pushed around! I laid down a strategy Ava, Kayto, but I'm leaving you two with how we actually fight in this battle. I'm an advisor, not an officer in this battle."

"Well said commander. Then allow me to take charge and give the orders in accordance to your plan."

As the battle commences, as the Sunrider fought against the pirate ryders with her trinities and limited supplies of missiles, taking several hits from the ryders' own weapons but unease filled their hearts and minds as a new target appeared from behind them according to their radar

"Oh shit! We're going to be flanked!" Ryland, for once, felt out of his element since he had never expected to be outclassed by mere pirates in terms of strategy.

* * *

However, that fear was quickly replaced with relief as one of the pirate owned former Imperial ryders is struck with a high powered laser in the weakest parts of a ryder causing it to erupt into an inferno, making the remaining fall back at the sudden arrival of what seems to be a friendly face as the holoprojector activates revealing a girl with red hair and green eyes, wearing a red tinted ryder suit

"Here comes the cavalry with my good ol' Black Jack!"

"Your help here is appreciated, but who are you?" Like usual, Ava was hardly the sort to just accept unconditional help in sudden conditions such as these and would always look a gift horse in the mouth.

"Name's Asaga Oakrun, Tydaria's local hero of justice. We can talk as much as you guys want when the pirates are gone. Let me handle the ryders and you take on the destroyers."

"Got it Black Jack. Make sure the pirates don't get to our engines."

"Yessir!"

After the holographic display of Asaga disappeared, Ryland hid the urge to twitch his eyebrows since he felt some odd hinge of nostalgia when it comes to her features, wondering if he had seen the girl in the past during his travels across space but shoved it aside for now since he needs to focus on the pirate threat, despite not being out in the battlefield itself

' _Geez, I don't like the idea of being in the back-ranks like this. I want to be in the thick of battle like I always have been! Even if my talents make me a decent tactician, I freaking prefer using my talents in ryder combat to fight! But I am curious nonetheless, why does that girl seem so familiar? A red haired girl named Asaga Oakrun. Hm, don't make assumptions Ryland. But she does seem a bit similar to that little girl I briefly met when I visited the Ryuvian King Jaylor di Ryuvia with my parents during our little journey through the galaxy to learn about ryder techniques. It's unfortunate we couldn't save his wife when those pirates attacked even though my parents both had their ryders and I had been given temporary access to a Ryuvian one._ '

* * *

With the arrival of the Black Jack, the other pirate using the standard Imperial ryder was quickly eliminated and the Havoc was defeated and retreated since the pirate girl lost both of her destroyers in addition to the two other ryders and with the danger passed, Asaga reappeared above the holoprojector

"Thank you for the assistance Black Jack. As a means of appreciation, we'd like to give you a lift back to Tydaria."

"I appreciate the generous offer there; I'd be foolish to decline right now since I expended a lot of fuel during my patrol. On my way."

"Ava, open the hangar doors for our guest so we can go meet her."

"As you wish captain." Ava carried a frown as she gave the order to open the hangar doors for the ryder as she followed after him with a hand at her right side which incidentally was where she held a standard issue CRP-12 handgun used by the Ceran Space Force.

Ryland normally would've gone back to the engineering bay to determine how much power they had expended in the battle and adjust the reactor accordingly to the best of his ability but the lingering thoughts in his mind led his feet toward the hangar deck, descending through the elevator, quickly finding himself in the vast open space which could hold up to twelve ryders as a carrier alongside Ava and Kayto as each one of them walked across the catwalk to where the bright red and white ryder that had helped in their battle, seeing it docked in Slot 001, coordinated near perfectly with the systems designed to store them.

"Engage Ryder hangar lift 001. I want our pilot guest here to be able to leave her ryder."

As the systems are activated, raising the lift which would allow the individual pilots to safely exit their ryders since, while each ryder is docked in a slot, there is still a 5 to 8 feet space between the ryders' cockpits and the catwalk which requires the lift to rise from the ground to safely maneuver from A to B and with the pathway secure, the girl who had helped the Sunrider fight the pirates made her presence in front of the trio with a expression emphasizing a degree of curiosity as she is looking all about the room and a surprising amount of youth in her features

"Nice ship y'all got here. This a carrier-class kind of ship based on the number of Ryder slots here I'm guessing?"

"Er, yeah. You certainly know your stuff."

Interrupting Kayto's rather modest remark, Ava quickly jumped into the conversation with her usual military-trained professionalism "That's enough. You may have gotten an offer for transportation from the captain, but I am not as trusting of random strangers. Put your hands in the air. I'm going to do a weapons check."

"Oh come on! I helped save you guys from the pirates and I'm treated like this?!"

"Ceran Space Force naval protocol 9-32B demands that unknown elements must be fully-"

"Ava, I understand you take this stuff seriously, but you're too rigid. Even I'm more flexible and I'm from a pure-bred military family."

"If you insist Commander. But in this case, I'm putting you in charge of this, if she does something that violates our rules, you will be at blame."

"Geez, you're vicious Ava. Er, would you mind just doing a little spin or something? It's not possible to hide weapons with those ryder suits, I know that first hand. I don't want a bullseye painted on my back."

"Okay, if it'll have the lady there ease up on us both." With a smile, Asaga did as asked, showing that she was disarmed, and with that concern allayed, even though Ava hardly approved, Kayto stepped forward and offered his hand.

"I'm Kayto Shields, captain of this proud vessel here: the Sunrider. This is my first officer: Ava Crescentia and my friend here is currently a combat advisor for us until he is able to get a new ryder; his name is Ryland Evans."

Asaga paid attention with a mild dull focus but her attention was peaked at the mention of Ryland's name "Ryland Evans? That's a name I haven't heard in a while."

"You know me?"

"Yep. Won't say where we met though. More fun if you figure it out yourself." Asaga simply smirked and chuckled as she bent her figure forward for a brief moment before straightening herself out "Anyway, I may like to consider myself Tydaria's hero of justice, but in all reality, I'm just something akin to a freelancer working toward protecting the innocent from danger like this and a little profit on the side. Even heroes need a paycheck here and there. The Mining Union has been one of my favorite supporters since they pay me for every pirate I knock out 'round here. Of course my pal Chigara has a more stable income fixing Union spacecraft in her garage. In fact, she was the one who built this beast here. I've primarily been using this guy to help me fight off Cosette Cosmos, the pirate we fought out there, and her gang of pirates."

"So that girl was named Cosette Cosmos?" ' _I've definitely never heard that name before, so she must have mistaken me for my father. Well, considering that Mei was in the polar region, she should still be alive. Hopefully she found a way to evade PACT's conscription. She's really good with technology so maybe she could get me access to his files._ '

"Yep. Anyway, I wanted to ask, this is a Ceran ship right?"

"Yeah." Kayto simply nodded as he acknowledged of their affiliation though he looked downward as the thought of Cera's defeat resurfaced.

"Sorry to hear about your loss there Capt'n, Ryland. Cera's fall to PACT has been all over the feeds, just about every world in the galaxy has been made aware that Cera has been annexed by em." Asaga's words made the trio turn their gazes away and develop expressions of unease "Say, considering that this carrier of yours seems devoid of ryders. Really weird decision of yours capt'n. You know what, since we were a real good team out there, I want to make an offer. Help me deal with Cosette's gang of pirates plaguing this sector and I'll join you as the Sunrider's first Ryder."

"Now hold up pilot. You're overstepping your boundaries. It's one thing to request transportation to where we were already going, but to even think about joining-"

"Ava, once again, you need to work on your flexibility when it comes to Ceran protocol and help in general. Remember that the Black Jack approached us from our rear flank. If Asaga was an enemy, she would've turned her weapons on us. But instead she focused solely on the pirates assailing us. Besides, considering her skill out there, she's nearly as good as I am with a ryder. Remember that carriers like the Sunrider is meant to represent her true strength through her ryders and we have none right now. But Asaga, let me rectify a mistake on your part since you couldn't have known otherwise. You wouldn't be the Sunrider's first ryder, you're technically the second since I had lost my ryder during PACT's invasion of Cera to their Legion."

"Ooh, I see. Sorry for the rather quick assumption there. Anyway, you mind if I get a tour during the trip? I don't need to see any of your military hardware. If anything, I'd appreciate just knowing where your mess hall is. I'd love to have a good bite to eat."

"I'm going to return to the bridge and have them plot a course to Tydaria. Remember that this girl is going to be your responsibility since you believe she's worth keeping around."

* * *

With a discontent sigh, Ryland urged Asaga to follow his lead through the ship's hallways, quickly finding themselves in the mess hall where she quickly helped herself to a small helping of the rationed meat preserves though Ryland quickly noticed that Asaga was fighting the urge to squirm from the horrid taste, since their food situation has been dire since they fled Cera, from every bite she took

"Not to your palette I take it?"

"N-No! I...I lvoe ti. Pcaks a...kick." Even though her words, scrambled as they were, suggested that she was lying about the horrible taste since she is a guest on the ship and should accept it.

"You don't need to lie Asaga. Since we've been working double shifts so long, our sense of taste has been dulled so we can bring ourselves to tolerate this kind of food. But if you don't mind, I'd really like to know where you met me since I can't really recall my side of this." ' _Well, that's a half-lie since I have a good idea but I don't want to jump the gun until I know for sure. ESPECIALLY if my theory's right. It's not something I just want to blurt out._ '

"Like I told ya pal, I'm not telling until you figure it out yourself. Mystery novels are no fun if the secret's revealed at the start, ya gotta find the answer through your own wit and this is one heck of a living life mystery. The only hint I'm giving ya is that we've met in the past. But I may ease up a little if ya spill some of your hobbies."

"Hobbies? Seriously?" Ryland sighed and gently scratched his cheek with a tiny faint blush "I've been raised in a military family, but I will admit that I've never exactly told that many people about this, but I like to experiment with cooking, cleaning here and there and... _pressing flowers._ "

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear what you said at the end there Ryland, could you repeat that?"

Ryland turned his head from left to right, making sure no one else was in the room and for good measure, he walked toward the door and made sure no one was even remotely close as he returned to the table where Asaga was waiting

"I've spent a good amount of time pressing flowers from a number of worlds: Cera, New Eden, Ryuvia Prime, Solaris, etcetera. I have a fondness for nature."

"That's pretty cool, not going to lie. Anyway, I can't eat this anymore, so you mind showing me to a room? I want to get a little shut-eye before getting to Tydaria."

"Sure, I'll lead you to the quarters dedicated to our ryder pilots."


	3. Chapter 3

Two hours passed since Asaga was accepted as a guest onboard the renegade Ceran carrier: Sunrider, having contacted the Minion Union to collect the bounty they had posted on the pirate vessels and agreed to split it two ways since they both had a hand in achieving the bounty, having been given a brief tour of the Sunrider's non-critical areas by Ryland since Ava refused to give necessary clearance for her to access rooms like the engineering bay, armory, and other such rooms since she simply didn't trust Asaga despite proving that she has no ill intent. Because of the restrictions, Ryland took Asaga around the crew quarters, the medbay, simulation decks, and the observation hall before stopping in the CIC as Asaga was requested to provide coordinates as the ship rapidly approached Tydaria, being directed toward a rather large dry-dock built into an asteroid a fair distance from the planet, noticing that the dock is sized to repair and maintain even larger battleships or massive civilian mining vessels native to the Mining Union

"Sunrider to drydock. We request immediate access to your platform."

An awkward silence came following Ava's request, before an audio only message came through the ship's communication systems "O-One minute please! I was working on a side project! C-Can I offer you one of the Stardust Bakery's specials?"

The mention of a bakery made Kayto, Ava, and Ryland all exchange confused glances before momentarily looking toward Asaga, who nervously chuckled, before returning to the holo-projector as a woman who appears a similar age to Asaga appears above it, one of her most distinguishing features being her light lavender hair since it's not a hair color common in the galaxy, wearing a uniform commonplace to what a baker would wear "Stardust...Bakery?"

"You...must be joking. Is this really the dock you told us about?" Ava was quick to put a hand to her forehead and facepalm. Ryland was tempted to join her because of how bizarre this simply was but restrained himself since he wanted to give some chance for the other party to redeem themselves for this unusual introduction.

"Erm, we were told by one of your associates that we could get our ship repaired and resupplied here."

"Yeah...I figured you'd want that service. Would you mind if I scan your ship? I want to see how bad it is."

"Go ahead."

As the holographic display of the girl briefly vanished and reappeared, her clothing having changed to a blue and black ryder suit with a white lab coat over it "Okay, the damage isn't anything I can't handle. Move your ship close and I'll send out the umbilical. I would prefer to discuss costs in person."

"Acknowledged. Triangulate landing coordinates for the Sunrider and set a course."

* * *

Upon successful connection between the carrier and the asteroid, Kayto, Ava, and Ryland went down to the ship's hangar bay, quickly encountering the young woman in person having been stealing glances toward the residential Ryder lying within Slot 01: the Black Jack before noticing the trio approach her, though the sudden arrival of Asaga threw them off-guard

"Honey! I'm home!" Asaga throwing herself into the conversation alone introduced a shock to the trio, though her choice of words only served to confuse them further.

"And I see you're not alone this time."

"Yep, this is Kayto Shields, captain of this fancy former Ceran carrier. The lady here is Ava Crescentia, this ship's XO. And this is Ryland Evans, while he lacks one right now, he's one of the Sunrider's Ryder pilots."

Hearing Asaga introduce her so flippantly only caused Ava's disdain toward her to grow

"I'm pleased to meet you. Truly. My name is Chigara Lynn Ashada, but please just call me Chigara."

"So what exactly was that comment about the bakery?"

"Stardust Bakery. It's the best place to get a wide variety of baked goods and sweets. Cupcakes, sandwiches, brownies, anything of the sort!"

"The _only_ place!"

"And how much business do you get? I'm legitimately curious." Ryland genuinely wanted to know the answer to this because of how strange this all was. A bakery alongside a starship dock.

"...Not much. Most of the people who come by just want starship repairs."

"Then why don't you just focus solely on that?" After hearing Kayto's rather blunt question, both Ava and Ryland rolled their eyes, turning their heads to avoid him seeing, as it processed in their minds. As unusual as they both found this situation, neither would've been so direct about it.

"Oi, that's far too cruel! Don't shatter a girl's dreams like that Shields! Chigara has always wanted to run a bakery like this!"

"He does have a point I suppose. Everyone I talk to says it's strange to keep baked goods next to starship fuel and parts. It'd probably be illegal in most systems."

"Nice going nimrod." He may be friends with Kayto, but that does not mean that he is exempt from Ryland insulting him.

"So er, this is a bit of an unusual place to find girls like you."

"Far from it actually. The Mining Union is one of the biggest groups here in the Neutral Rim and they're based here in Tydaria. When you consider pirate attacks, handling ore from mining, and natural wear and tear, there's always a need for engineers to repair their vessels. Because of my renting this dock from the Union, I can minimize my expenses by staying close to their primary refining stations which provide me with materials which I use to help repair any ships that come by. While they don't exactly like my bakery being here, they do highly appreciate my skill with their ships."

"I was talking less about your skills but your background I guess. Normally this tends to be exclusive to those born within mining families as far as I know."

"That's more reasonable a question I suppose. You could consider me an adventurer much like Asaga."

"Do you do any freelancing like her too?"

"A little bit. I tend to stick around here though. Anyway, based on the scan I ran on your ship, the damage seems focused around your hull and electronic systems. Though I happened to see that there was some partial repair work. I should be able to get it fully repaired by the end of the week."

"Yeah, that was largely my doing. I am only capable of rather basic maintenance but I tried my best with our limited resources. I did have to disable some of our systems to maintain power and keep the crew safe, but I have no regrets about it."

"That's a dangerous move if I may be honest. An untrained engineer shouldn't be handling this sort of task, it'd put both him and those around in extreme danger."

"Now hold up girl! I may be inexperienced, but I know how to work with machines enough. One of my childhood friends is an engineer and she taught me enough about engineering." While Ryland knew he was far from suited to actually handle something as complicated as performing the role of Chief Engineer, he did not like how he was being confronted by Chigara, especially when said technology was developed by the world he was born and raised on, and with his background in military, it does require familiarity with technology.

"Oi, let's just take a chill pill." Asaga was feeling uneasy seeing the pair butting heads in this way since she felt like it was becoming at risk of becoming volatile.

"A-Anyway, I think you're overestimating the job here Chigara. The Sunrider isn't like your average mining freighter. This is a top-of-the-line military carrier built with a great number of experimental technologies Cera had to offer. Ryland's one of my best engineers who knows this ship as well as anyone else and not even he was able to complete any finalized repairs in a week. It took him a week just to get this far."

"I know my buddy here and if she says she can get the job finished in a week, then she can. She's never met a machine she couldn't repair or streamline. Well, I guess? There is one machine she recently built that's a problem, but it's more a fact she over-speced it than any sort of defect."

"Well how about that relay there? Normally it's what regulates power for the hangar, but we had to completely rearrange the grid when our systems were fried. Considering how little power we have, it's a miracle that one bay is powered."

With a moment's silence, Chigara pulled out a pair of googles and pressed a button on the side as she began looking about the room "The damage seems not as bad as I had originally suspected. The auxiliary systems seem to dysfunctional because of too much strain from electrical overload." As she walked toward the relay, she pulled out a multi-tipped device and a small petri dish filled with some form of putty from one of her coat pockets "I just need to cut here and-"

"H-Hang on! That's a live circuit! Let us cut it from the grid before you-!"

* * *

Undeterred from Kayto's warning, Chigara went ahead and did her work, the sound of the nearby ventilation shaft coughing up a fair amount of dust and ash as it immediately whirred back to life, the darkened hangar's lights being restored one by one, the sight surprising all three, in addition to giving some relief since this was one of many areas that had been darkened to conserve energy. The only areas that had light was the CIC, the engineering bay, the bridge, and only six crew quarters

"I've managed to increase power efficiency in this area by 20 percent. Unfortunately, this is as much as I can do without my toolkit. As for the cost, unfortunately, the amount of credits you earned from the bounty won't be enough for a full operation. It is enough to cover repairing the hull and electronic software, but restocking your munitions will require a greater cost."

"Told ya, Chigara's a flippin' genius when it comes to her machines." Asaga's praise only served to make Chigara nervously laugh and shrink from, hinting that she prefers staying in the background.

"Well I suppose we can't argue if she was able to do this with such little work. Ava, I need you to give her full access to our systems."

"Very well, but I'll be monitoring her at all times."

"Chigara, it's important that we get our weapon stores replenished. Are there any ways we can get the money needed?"

"You could try doing what Asaga does. Doing work with the Minion Union."

"But the Sunrider isn't ready for anything strenuous right now."

"Chigara, we ought to let Ryland there have a good at 'it'. I have a good feeling about this one."

"Absolutely not! He'll simply end up in the hospital like the last three dozen pilots who tried using it! Why do you think I'm dismantling it?"

"Oh hog wash. Those pilots were hardly half my own skill! Ryland has trained with Empire, Alliance, and Ryuvian techniques. He ought to be able to handle it."

"What are you two talking about?"

"See, the Union discovered a cache of ancient technology on Noskion IV a while back and they asked Chigara to build a ryder out of parts they found there. It's heavily armed, both offensively and defensively, but the control interface is trippy. See, they wanted a ryder strong enough to give pirates pause and potentially even PACT. A force to keep them neutral toward the Union. Thing is, no one has been able to even get the thing to move coherently. Each time, this ryder had to be towed by her Liberty back to the dock. Chigara, just let him try."

"I'm actually with Asaga on this one. Ryland's one of the best ryder pilots alive because of his history. He started training at the age of ten and has been constantly refining his skill for the last eighteen years. I'm sure he can handle this ryder you're talking about. He's actually one of Cera's best. In fact, his determination to remain a ryder pilot kept him from rising through the ranks to becoming a Rear Admiral. Ceran military protocol caps a ryder pilot's rank at Commander."

"Fine." Chigara simply sighed an irritated sigh as she looked toward Ryland "Okay, if Asaga's vouching for you, I'll let you try piloting this ryder. But I'm going to be keeping a close eye on you because of this thing's dangerous history. I'm not going to risk another pilot being injured. If I so much as suspect any trouble, I'm pulling the plug. As soon as I finish this test, I'll get to work on repairing your ship, I promise."

"Ava, let's head back to the CIC and watch this from there. I'm sure Ryland'll pass."

"Very well Captain."

* * *

After seeing the two officers leave, Ryland, Asaga, and Chigara walked the opposite way back toward the umbilical to the drydock where Chigara and Asaga base themselves out of, finding themselves in a rather cramped space combining living quarters, a workshop, a lab, a bakery, a hangar in a different wing, and other important rooms. As the trio walk through the space toward the hangar, two ryders are seen in their berths, one colored metallic blue and black, its left arm being composed of a large beam rifle and the right side being a reinforced shield, with specialized electronic warfare antennas at the top of the unit, and in a powered down berth, a terrifying looking ryder colored onyx black with dark sapphire blue trims, noticing the frame resembled the Black Jack when it comes to its armor design, with a Y shaped headpiece designed to resemble demon horns, in addition to the oversized energy core at the unit's back, protected by a seemingly thin sheet of armor resembling a cape, though he noticed the entire frame was a piece of lost technology so it's likely stronger than anything currently in production, though it seemed to lack weapons, hinting that they were removed beforehand

"This sick puppy used to be armed to the teeth. Four laser emitters, six pulse cannons, a tough as hell sword, twelve missile banks, and even powerful kinetic weaponry. And when you consider the amount of energy it has, it was truly meant to be able to operate independently for weeks before needing to return to base! Well, as long as it didn't see combat. Though Chigara removed all of it since she's planning to take down this poor guy."

"It's because I refuse to endanger the pilot using this ryder Asaga! Even the navigation system is a risk to them!" It's clear that Chigara was apprehensive about letting Ryland use this ryder despite both Kayto's and Asaga's comments yet her tone of voice has some sliver of hope that this time will be different "I remotely sealed this ryder after the last test. I need to disengage the locks with my laptop. As soon as it's done, I'll get into Liberty and follow close."

As she rushed back toward the lab with laptop in hand, she rapidly punched in a series of commands as the nameless ryder's berth lit up

"Okay, climb up the catwalk and I'll open the headpiece for you."

Following her request to the letter, he slowly entered the ryder, seeing the open space being nearly twice the size of Destiny, quickly noticing the lack of the chair that served as the control interface for the average ryder "Er, Chigara. Where's the chair? How am I supposed to operate this unit?"

"This unit's unique Ryland. Instead of sitting in a chair and operating it through regular controls, this unit requires the use of a custom made suit that connects to your nervous system for advanced controls not possible in your average ryder, in addition to some voice commands as well. This advanced maneuvering was too much for all of the pilots who tested with this unit before. The pressure was far too great on them. Asaga, can you go get it for me please?"

"Yessir!" With a confident smile, she dashed toward the living quarters, quickly returning with a suit with the same color scheme as the ryder and lightly tosses it toward Ryland "Okay, we'll give you some privacy so you can get the uniform on."

* * *

After being given the special uniform and putting it on, he begins to turn about the open cockpit as he notices tron lines begin to light up alongside the ryder's interior, the darkness quickly evaporating into crystal clear perception of the surroundings and the residual gravity changing as he quickly felt magnetic energy keeping himself still in the center. Upon hearing a familiar voice in Chigara, he quickly looked upward toward the source of the voice

"Okay listen, I imagine you've noticed your legs have been close to paralyzed. It's a safety measure designed to accommodate the issue of the space around you when it comes to movement when you're out in the field. But if you adjust your body forward, backwards, to the side, and other such directions, the ryder will mirror your movements. I'm already prepared in Liberty so try to move about if possible."

"Heh, I was never exactly trained for something like this back in the sims, but I'm going to _enjoy this_. Being the first to master an impossible Ryder. _Bring. It. On!_ " While accomplishments was far from what he typically desires, he was driven to make this one seemingly impossible dream a reality since it is related to something he has trained with for the eighteen years.

Befitting his desire, Ryland did his best to adjust his body into a runner's pose and moved to get the ryder out of the dock and into the expanse of space, seeing that the Liberty left soon after he did

"Activate flight mode!" Upon his command, the thrusters were activated, giving the ryder a greater boost of speed which was necessary for movement in space though the inertia was certainly impeding on the ryder's stability making it swerve near uncontrollably "Holy shit, this thing is putting up a bigger fight than an Okapi!" Closing his eyes for a brief moment to focus and think of something to increase stability before reaching an idea "Activate inertial dampeners. Reduce engine speed by 52 percent!" Following the next two commands, he saw the ryder's thrusters drop to 47 percent power via the computer systems within, making it begin advancing at a more reasonable speed for him, though it was still uncontrollable even with so little power "Drop power to twenty five percent!" With the engine's power being reduced even further, the ryder finally went at a speed he could fully tolerate. "Woah boy. No wonder all those other pilots had so much trouble using this ryder. It'd make even the healthiest pilot develop motion sickness if exposed to this too long. It requires a lot of quick-thinking to account for on-the-spot thinking too. Not for the faint of heart ain't ya? I'm probably going to have to keep power capped at around 20 to 30 percent for safety's sake until I can adjust to this kind of power. Will need to log a ton of hours in the simulators to gradually increase my control."

"I-I can't believe it! You already lasted longer than the other pilots who used this ryder!"

"Well if I've already done more than the average pilot, it's high time I soar beyond!"

* * *

With a proud smile, Ryland continued moving his body to make the ryder follow suite, with hardly a care in the world as the ryder began to fly with precision, though to a far rougher state compared to the standard ryder since the mass produced models value stability above all else first, though the paradigm seems flipped this time around, but the moment he began to think about pulling off an extravagant maneuver, he swiftly noticed the lights within the ryder grow dim and his body sent forward into the floor

"OW! What the hell was that?!"

"Considering I was going to dismantle it, I took out most of its fuel. I only gave it enough to last a few minutes. Since you seem to be able to actually handle this ryder, I'll contact the Mining Union and authorize a transfer and make it yours. But before that, I'm going to tow you back to the dock."

* * *

Upon making it back to the dock and the trio uniting in the main lab section, Chigara followed through on her promise, contacting her contact with the Mining Union: Sophita Brooks, who is the Vice President of Operations for the Union

"Miss Brooks, it's Chigara Ashada. I'd like to authorize a transfer of the ryder you commissioned me to build to this man here: Ryland Evans."

"Are you telling me you managed to find a pilot able to pilot that ryder? You said his name was Ryland Evans? By chance, is this man related to Aria and Lars Evans from Cera?"

"That I am Miss Brooks. They're my mother and father respectively."

"I must say, it's something of an honor to speak with someone from the Evans family. Your family is well known in the Neutral Rim. And when you consider the business your family has done with us in addition to establishing a cordial relation, it was only right we offer your brother and sister asylum."

"W-Wait...my brother and sister...they're alive?! M-Miss Brooks, are you sure they're the same people?! Tetsuo and Iseria Evans?" While Ryland was known for his calm demeanor, after what he lost to PACT and their Legion: His home in Cera City, many of his fellow soldiers in the CSF, his mentor in Admiral Koris, and many of his friends outside the military who were vaporized in the blast. Hearing that members of his family survived and are free did wonders to raise his morale since, while he hid it well, he was miserable since he believed his entire family was killed during PACT's invasion. It doesn't even matter if he can never see them again, just as long as they're alive and safe.

"Who do you think I am? I did a thorough background check years ago and although their appearance has changed over the years, their core being is unchanged. They're both doing jobs for us to earn their keep. Tetsuo's acting as a security guard for one of our mining facilities. It is a boring job since the most dangerous thing is someone occasionally trying to take a bigger stake of money or ore. Iseria has been assigned to a customer support role, acting as a representative to some of our mercenary teams."

"Thank goodness." Ryland sighed a sigh of relief knowing that at least some of his family is still around and kicking. His parents went MIA after the invasion of Cera and he has not kept in touch with his siblings in years during his training in the polar regions, so he wasn't even sure if they were on Cera or off-world when PACT attacked.

"Now, back to business. While I have no qualms transferring the ryder to you, I simply need you to fill out some paperwork. I'll send it to Chigara's computer and you can send it back to me."

"Do I have to worry about any sneaky clauses that would force me into servitude for a decade or something?"

"Don't worry, we have no interest in forcing you into extended labor like that. There is only one clause of potential worry for you. See, this ryder was a monumental investment of the Union and we want to make sure it can make some return, whether it is in use or the weapons being sold to the highest bidder. Your new ryder's weapons have been taken and are being stored in a high-security vault. As you make money, you can buy back the weapons and make yourself a true menace to your enemies. I'll make one exception with the laser emitters since you will need weapons to take on these jobs."

"Well at least I'll have some means of defense and offense. Thank you Miss Brooks." With the reassurance that the Union has no intention of screwing him over, Chigara hands him her laptop for a brief moment so he can go ahead and fill out the necessary E-paperwork.

"Furthermore, I'm going to be appointing Iseria as your liaison between you and the Union. She'll be responsible for ensuring your needs are met, provided they are reasonable."

"I can help him with that boss. Forward me a list of jobs that pay enough to get him his weapons and I'll take em on with ma Black Jack. I want to get my friend battle ready."

"You're quite eager to help him Asaga. But considering you just finished a job, you're going to need time for repairs and ammunition restocking. I'll send you a list of jobs tomorrow. Brooks out."

* * *

After hearing Sophita end the call, Chigara took her laptop back into the lab, leaving Asaga and Ryland by themselves in the hangar

"It's delayed, but congrats on taming this wild beast here. I'm real eager to see you on the battlefield helping us. By the way, whatcha gonna call your new pal here?"

"Thanks Asaga, and names huh?" With the question being asked, he turned to face the ryder he had just piloted, recalling the experience of this being a nigh unstoppable ryder armed to the teeth with powerful ancient technology, a mighty beast designed to be both powerful, fast, and durable "When properly equipped, this thing is meant to be an avatar of death right? Powerful weapons with lightning fast speed and armor meant to last. With that in mind...no name is more perfect than...Reaper. Death's immortal avatar who keeps a vigil over the living, strikes without warning and fail. This ryder, which is now under my command, will be immortalized as Reaper."

* * *

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	4. Chapter 4

A week has passed since the Sunrider docked with the asteroid base used by the adventurer pair in Asaga and Chigara which led to the complete repair of the damaged carrier's systems and hull and proper replenishing of their munitions after the various jobs Asaga had been doing for the Union, the crew enjoying some much needed R&R since they had been pulling double, nearly triple in some parts, shifts after they retreated from Cera; the opportunity doing wonders to naturally restore morale and their energy since the only outlet prior to this was playing games Ava had declared against regulations. While the crew took the time to relax, the commanding staff in Kayto and Ava did their part in overseeing the repair work Chigara was doing and Ryland spent nearly every waking moment in Chigara's simulator training, later transitioning to the Sunrider's once it had regained power since it was a proper military grade platform which would be better suited for weapon testing, to handle operating Reaper. However, getting a handle on maneuverability took Ryland three and a half days but the fruits of his extensive labor paid off as he now figures he can maneuver the proper ryder with no problems, and with the critical need for movement being mastered, Ryland began focusing on combat training, initially on stationary targets as a means of understanding the complicated combat systems as, much like the navigation system being unlike anything commonplace among ryders, it requires a specialized gauntlet which wirelessly syncs with a visor providing a high-tech reticle in his eyesight which was programmed to link with the ryder's own weaponry.

"Geez, this is outright insane. I've never had to use such experimental tech to use a ryder before. If the ancient Ryuvians had to use this all the time, they've got some serious skill compared to us nowadays. Let's see." Taking a deep breath and focusing his attention solely on the simulation now "Activate pulse emitters One, Two, and Five. Raise power level to forty percent." Upon giving the commands, he saw the respective emitters begin to power up in his FoV "Okay, what was the key to firing weapons in this one?" Ryland closed his eyes to reflect on what Chigara had been telling him, remembering the directions laid out for him. The gauntlets were another piece of tech made exclusively for Reaper which were designed to fire upon pressing the button in the inner sections which were similar to some old game peripherals he used back in his school days "Okay, there we go." Adjusting his arm to aim against one of the targets, he then presses the button dedicated for the pulse configuration in the inner side of the gauntlet, seeing the trinities firing from the emitters which strikes the six stationary Ryders scattered about the simulated battlefield as the barrage destroys each one in turn "Wow, I was able to destroy ryders with such little effort? When Asaga told me that this Ryder was meant to be a powerhouse, she wasn't kidding. I knew Ryuvian Lost Technology is leagues ahead of anything we're currently capable of creating, but I didn't think a Ryder could be this powerful. I mean, Destiny was considered advanced based on what Cera had available but based on the battle data I got from Asaga, Black Jack is far superior. And Reaper was designed to blow it out of the water. Heh, better not let Mei know about the 'inferiority' since she was considered one of Cera's absolute best engineers and an expert in Ryder construction. She'd probably be ticked off hearing of an engineer who can create advanced Ryders on her own like it's seemingly nothing. Chick has a real stubborn streak she does. Freaking competitive too since she found time for her military training while participating at national robotic and ryder competitions. Was always determined to win. She even used Destiny for some of those competitions. Had every right too since it was her creation, she just let me use it since I needed a military ryder."

Ryland was soon pulled out of his thoughts as he sees the holographic displays around him dissipate and Asaga entering the room, a cup of coffee in her hands

"I think you've done enough training ol' pal of mine. You've been spending nearly every waking moment in the simulators. You need a break. Here, have some coffee. It's warm."

"Thanks Asaga. I guess I am a little parched from combat training. But they're stationary targets, I've still got a lot of work to do if I'm going to actually fight in Reaper. Though Chigara seems to disagree. She believes I'm already ready for combat, even when I haven't even done any official simulation with moving targets." Accepting the coffee with a small smile, he took a sip, finding it a good taste though he felt a tad apprehensive upon the sight of Asaga's cheshire smile "Er, why the heck are you smiling?"

"Oh no reason. Oh, I have to ask, how well do you handle alcohol?"

Hearing this immediately caused Ryland to spit out the coffee he had just drunk and glared angrily toward the woman in front of him "D-Did you seriously just give me alcohol?! It's against military protocol to drink when on duty!"

The overreaction from Ryland simply made Asaga clutch her stomach and laugh as she slapped her legs repeatedly as she struggled to hold back her amusement "Ahahaha! You totally fell for it! I just knew that if I baited you, you'd fall to my undefeatable joking skill!"

"Y-You! You made me waste perfectly good coffee!"

"You really thought that coffee was good? Not to offend but your sense of taste must still be pretty dang bad right now. I asked Nolan and Garrett to taste a batch of the brew I cooked up and they found this revolting. I shared their sentiment."

"You found it disgusting yet you still thought to give it to me Asaga? The hell is wrong with you?!"

"Not my fault your rations are pretty low-quality right now. I think that Crescentia lady said that would be a high priority to purchase from the Union now that you're fully stocked with ammo. Besides, all jokes aside, I was trying to do something nice for you. You've hardly taken any time to relax this week. Figured a coffee break could do you some good."

"Well, thank you I suppose Asaga."

"Ryland, I really want to ask. Are you going to be okay when we go after Cosette? Now that the Sunrider's restocked, we're gonna be going after her soon."

"Don't worry. Cosette seems to harbor a real big grudge against my father, since I've never met her as far as I know, and presumes that I'm him since we practically look alike and it prevents her from thinking logically. She won't be able to maintain any strategic plans when she learns I'm in the battlefield. She's going to be far too angry and driven to kill me. Honestly, I'll just have you guys take on her pirates while I fight Cosette directly."

"Sure you can handle it since you said you're not accustomed to real combat with Reaper yet?"

"When your opponent is throwing herself into the fray with no plan, even an unskilled fighter has a chance of victory, and I'm far from unskilled. I'm going to need more practice to get the hang of ranged weaponry, but working melee will be a lot simpler."

"You ever do anything of the sort before?"

"Two and a half years worth of formal fencing training back in high school in addition to light remedial lessons over the years in addition to parkour to keep my body fit. I've never done it in an actual ryder, but with the control interface Chigara made, I should be able to do it a lot more easily."

"Ooh, a fencer eh? I've indulged in the art myself here and there. Care to spar a little?" Asaga proudly smirked as she stuck her body forward.

"I don't think so. I've learned from trained fighters and athletes. I'm on a whole different league from you. You simply can't compare to my level."

"Confident ain't ya? Wanna prove it?"

"Perhaps at a later day. Since the Sunrider is restocked and refueled, it is time we fight Cosette and I want to keep my strength up."

"Fine. By the way, where's my 'thank you' for me pushing myself to get Reaper's weapons back?"

"If it'll make you happy, then-" Whatever Ryland was going to say, it was interrupted by the klaxon ringing out around them

"Commander Evans. Oakrun, report to the bridge immediately."

"Well you heard the XO. Let's get moving Asaga." Hearing this made Asaga display some annoyance since she was hoping to get some appreciation for all of the work she did to help Ryland get into the field.

* * *

Walking through the hallways, offering brief greetings toward the patrolling marines acting as security guards as Ryland calls out toward one with snow white hair and green eyes

"Commander Crescentia call for you again Ryland?"

"That she did Sylas. Hopefully she won't try biting my head off for some contrived reason again."

"Haha, yeah, the commander is certainly the strict sort. And I thought our CO back in the arctic base was tough. His seriousness pales in comparison."

"You sure you want to be bad-mouthing our XO Sylas? I have no qualms throwing you under the bridge you know."

"Y-You wouldn't! A-Aren't we friends? After everything we went through in training camp?!"

"Haha, relax Sylas. I wouldn't really do that. Remember that I had Ava back off a little back when we were playing cards to try raising morale. While Ava is strictly by the book, I have some more flexibility in my decision-making. I may be from a famous military family but that doesn't make me any less human. If anything, it requires me to look at situations at numerous angles and even at people's mental states. It'd be essential if I weren't fixated on being a Ryder pilot since I probably would've been a Rear Admiral by now. I'd have to shoulder the lives of millions."

"Say Ryland, I didn't feel like asking at the time, but did anyone accuse you of any sort of nepotism to you rising through the ranks so much?"

"There were some who tried to pull wool over people's eyes and make them think that the admirals were giving me special treatment because of how my parents were two of Cera's five admirals and were friendly with the other three. Of course, next to no one truly believed them since my record was public and hardly redacted, alongside how they saw how seriously I took the responsibility. I began military training at the age of ten. I had top marks in all of my classes which allowed me to graduate early at the age of seventeen to join the military. I then spent the next eleven years training for the position I have now. But we can talk later Sylas. I don't want to make Ava mad."

"Sure thing Ryland. Wanna get some alcohol?"

"When I'm off-duty Sylas. Maybe."

* * *

With a chuckle and nod of acknowledgement, Ryland and Asaga quickly separate from Sylas as he continued down the way they came from, the pair continuing toward the bridge

"So ya know him pal?"

"Yeah. Sylas' parents are farmers who lived out in a tiny poor village out in the boonies, as he called it. Thing is, he wanted to do something greater than toil his life away in the fields so he took a rather extreme gamble of applying for high-risk grants. If he couldn't deliver on rather strict criteria, he would practically be forced into a sort of indentured servitude for the rest of his life to pay it off. He pushed himself so much that it would've likely killed the faint of heart. But he was able to meet the requirements for the grants which allowed him to enlist in the Ceran Military Academy. He was an utter greenhorn with no history with the military, but damn he was determined; it was enough to have him transferred to the polar region for training."

"You...You speak as if being assigned to an arctic wasteland is a privilege. I can't stand the cold."

"If it were anywhere else, I'd probably agree, but Cera keeps its most elite military base in the harsh winter. The inhospitable terrain helps condition her forces."

"Interesting. Mind if I ask what it was like?"

"The base was built within a crater in the ice caps. Normally you'd think that it'd be one interconnected structure, but those crazy S-O-Bs established a number of domes scattered throughout the crater. Barracks. Mess Hall. Armory. Training Hall. Simulators. They were separated and to reach dome to dome, we were expected to run through the extreme cold each and every time. And since the barracks were relatively small, we did hot bunking in three shifts. Sylas shared my bunk, him being the one to wake me up for training. During that time, we tended to share a lot of conversation and talk about our lives. He was surprised when he learned I was an Evans since my family is rather well known on Cera, even more so when he discovered how casually I took things, training aside. After we graduated from the academy, we just kept in touch. Went to a gun range once or twice, buying gifts for family and friends, so on and so forth."

"Well if Sylas is here, is he at your rank?"

"No. He may be strong physically, but he's not exactly officer material. While I'm ranked at Commander, Sylas hasn't been given much opportunity to rise above ensign. Remember that he was born to farmers. It's...not exactly common for officer talent to be present in people not connected to military family heritages. Those kinds of people typically receive instruction from their families who have experience with it. While it arguably could be considered nepotism, but just because you're related to a military family doesn't mean you have to follow that path. My little brother and sister prove that much in my generation."

"What did they want to do with their lives?"

"Tetsuo's fond of construction and planned on moving to Alliance territory to help on their outlying worlds and Iseria has such a kind heart; she wants to be a doctor traveling the galaxy helping anyone in danger. Of course, since they lost their home on Cera while they were on a school-sponsored expedition to develop skills outside the classroom, they're contracted with the Minion Union. If it were safer, I'd try to bring them here. I mean, family ought to stay together to some extent."

"Ya really care for them don'tcha?"

"Well yeah, of course I do. While I will admit it felt weird at the time, having a baby brother and sister when I was twelve, I suppose you could say I got used to the idea and acted as a surrogate father figure to them since our parents had just become admirals at the time. Sure, they were allowed to stay surface-side a few years until they could attend school hut we all knew things would be really complicated when it came to them going to and from school when the time came for it, but thankfully Kayto's little sister was willing to babysit them since the three of us were away so much. Of course, my training prevented me from returning home so I couldn't really be there for them much growing up and communication was fairly strained up there, but I was able to talk with them through holo at certain points, which amounted to once or twice a month at most."

"But you can freely talk to them now right?"

"Yeah, but not exactly for casual conversation like this. Iseria's my contact with the Union and I have to keep things professional. Same case with Tetsuo. Anyway, we're about to turn the corner to the bridge."

* * *

Entering the bridge through the automatic door, the sight shown to them is Ava, Kayto, and Chigara huddled around the holo-table at the center of the room, Ryland and Asaga's entrance caught the notice of the XO

"Glad to see you finally came Commander. So Oakrun was with you too? That's convenient since it spares me time sending out a search party."

"So what's the situation Ava?"

"Chigara has confirmed that the Sunrider has been fully repaired and restocked. Are you ready to use Reaper on the battlefield when we go after Cosette tomorrow?"

"I could still use some training to fine-tune my skill with Reaper. While I have gotten the hang of movement and some weapon testing in the simulator, it's not exactly perfect. But I think that, against pirate forces without formal strategy, I can make due. But if we're going to be fighting against PACT forces in the future, I need to learn the ropes fast."

"Commander, I am going to be blunt. We need you at one hundred percent if you're going to be of worth on the battlefield."

"Oh cut me some slack Ava! Reaper is not some standard grade Ryder like Destiny or semi-standard irregulars like Black Jack or Liberty. Remember that this is an _ancient_ _Ryuvian_ reconstructed Ryder we're talking about here. If I was given Reaper even a year ago, I very much believe I would need to be hospitalized from shock. I like to think that six month long crash course on rapid response policing I took before being transferred here helped condition me to process such rapid decision-making. I was able to react to Reaper's advanced power settings because of it."

"Commander Crescentia, Ryland is wise to take this slow. This particular ryder is infamous for nearly killing its pilots. The fact he managed to survive using it is extraordinary. Let him advance at his own pace if you want him to be active."

"Very well. All of you, make sure you are ready to deploy tomorrow. We'll be striking against Cosette Cosmos' base hidden in the asteroid field at the edge of the sector."

"That's going to be challenging for a battlefield. I can imagine Cosette has a base hidden in one of the larger asteroids that she'll use against us."

"Captain, if I may. Based on our previous battle against Cosette, I believe dividing her forces is very much possible. We've seen that she carries a lot of hatred toward my family so I might be able to pull her away from her pirates. Let me deploy into the battlefield a certain distance away from her base so I can draw her to me and allow you guys to sweep through her forces. Besides, even if I felt completely experienced with Reaper, I don't have enough experience to fight as a group."

"The Commander's plan may be ideal considering our current situation. Besides, he was always something of a lone wolf mindset, so he's not good at being with a group."

"H-Hey! That's going too far Ava! I _am not_ a lone wolf! Just because I was given solo assignments more often than not does not mean I hate working with people. Admiral Noriyasu and Koris simply believed it was better for our elite forces to be independent. I took it at face value because I had a full military I could fall back to. With the Ceran Space Force exterminated and impressed by PACT, what little support I have left is what's here on the Sunrider. I'm not going to be exercising that mindset. Anyway, if we're going to be deploying tomorrow, I'm going to try getting some shut-eye. See ya guys."

* * *

Offering a brief salute of his hand, Ryland left the bridge and returned to his assigned quarters amid the ones given to Ryder personnel, the room's layout being uniform steel, draped in blue silk here and there. Almost immediately after entering the room, he noticed the computer built into the table in the corner flash up with a notification of text-only communication.

"Someone contacted me? Someone I know from a different planet or perhaps a Ceran survivor? Won't know till I open it."

Approaching the computer and sitting down on the chair in front of it, Ryland opened the message, finding it a blurb of text encoded with a familiar cipher which took little effort to decode as he had done it before, the existence of the cipher itself immediately lowered the candidate pool to one single person he had met a few years prior.

[Word through the grapevine told me you managed to survive PACT nuking Cera. You know that makes you one of the luckiest freaking people in the galaxy. Little birdie told me your Ryder was able to deflect an entire laser barrage from the Legion itself twice but I told her that she had to be bullshitting me much like she always did. You may be good Hannelore, but you're not _that_ good. Not against Legion. Hey, if you need support against PACT, I could try doing what I can in the background.]

Hearing this made Ryland inaudibly laugh since this half sarcastic, quarter sincere, and quarter serious message could only be from one person that knows him [Heh, no offense Alissa, but I think I can make due with what I have right now. But tell me, is that little birdie a certain Mei Watari? Did she make it?]

[You know her well. And yeah. She was still in her lab when PACT nuked your world. She hacked into her file and outright destroyed it to avoid a draft. As of recently, she's been hiding out in the countryside posing as a bumpkin engineer.]

[Haha, that is _so_ like her. Anyway, why did you contact me so out of the blue? You're not the sort to re-establish contact with someone for no reason. Especially after years passed.]

[Oh right. Listen, a mutual friend wants to arrange a get-together a couple of weeks from now. He's finding it tough to get away from his, I'll call him 'clingy', boss, but he's sure he can slip away sometime soon.]

[A mutual friend? Is it, by chance, Kouta?] Even though Ryland knew it was not the friend's real name, it was a code name the trio came up with when they became friends: His was Hannelore, the person he is speaking with is Alissa, and the friend they are speaking of was named Kouta.

[Yeah. Last I heard, he's been rising through the ranks. He's fairly trusted by his peers though some outright hate his guts, even if they hide it from the boss.]

[Heh, sounds like hell. I can't stand clingy types of bosses or double-crossing associates.]

[Neither can I Hannelore. Neither can I. Anyway, our friend gave me coordinates on where the meeting will be. Uploading now.]

With a moment's pause, space-time coordinates is immediately shown in the next message; its location placing it in a sector within the Astral Expanse which is already a vast, inhospitable region devoid of planets above Class 6 which is considered the minimal requirement for permanent colonization, if very loosely as it would be restricted to very small territories.

[Are you trying to lure me into a trap? The coordinates lead me to the Astral Expanse.]

[Haha, you're funny. You helped me in a time when our people were suffering. I want that moment to repeat itself since the galaxy is slowly becoming dark with tyranny and corruption. Listen, if you pair the best soldier with the best tactician, no matter who the enemy is, victory will, 99 times out of 100, side with the pair. Let us rebuild this pair for a soon-to-come war.]

[Let's not get ahead of ourselves right now Alissa. This is not like years ago. Right now we both lack power and connections. If we go after PACT right now, this will unfortunately be the 1 percent. You may be gifted, but without a capable army at your back, it means little. And I'm not exactly one-many army. Yet anyway.]

[Ooh, what brings the 'yet' into the mix?]

[Keep the information classified. I don't need PACT becoming aware and flying down my neck before I'm ready.]

[I like the sound of that. I'll keep the info hidden behind my ciphers.]

[Well then. I've been given access to an ancient Ryuvian model Ryder, albeit reconstructed from parts found by the Mining Union. Let's just say that if this were a double-seater and the two of us worked together, there is not a single enemy who'd stand a chance. Extreme power mixed with the best strategy from the get-go; but this thing is an absolute monster to pilot. It'll likely take me weeks to master it. Any other pilot would need months.]

[Sounds like a reasonable flaw in the system. I'll make sure your enemies don't learn of this too early. Anyway, see you at the meeting Hannelore.]

* * *

With this, the connection between the pair is severed, leaving Ryland to stew in his own thoughts

"Hmm...if her skills are at the state they were at years ago, Alissa would be a powerful ally, but I doubt the captain and the others would trust her. Especially Ava. For the time being, I think I should keep this to myself and watch the situation play out. I'll find a way to worm out of the Sunrider and get to those coordinates for the meeting. Now...how do I make that work out considering how strained we are right now? Well, I suppose I'll have to improvise something on the spot. _Fun._ " Despite his words, Ryland had little in the way of confidence of everything involved in this, but knows that gathering allies is extremely crucial to the fight and based on his time with Alissa and Kouta, they'd both be invaluable allies in the war against PACT; he just doesn't know their current affiliations, well mostly Kouta since Alissa has already proclaimed she'd help in the fight.


	5. Chapter 5

With time granted to them to rest before the battle against Cosette and her band of pirates to the fullest, the Sunrider's three Ryder pilots: Asaga with the multi-purpose Black Jack, Chigara with her support oriented Liberty, and Ryland with his new heavy performance powerhouse ryder: Reaper, the trio equipped themselves in their newly branded Ryder suits, each now carrying a number on the left breastplate; Asaga's red and white suit listed as 01, Chigara's blue and black suit listed as 02, and Ryland's black and gold suit having been granted the number 00 alongside the position of CAG for the Sunrider's Ryder squadron, Asaga being his appointed second in command in situations where Ryland is unable to assume leadership, joined together in the hallway of the ryder pilots' barracks and walked to the bridge after hearing the summons from Ava

"Ooh boy, I can't wait to kick me some pirate tail! Y'all ready to rock pal? Chigara?"

"With the plan you laid into place Ryland, victory should be simple to attain in this battle. But are you sure you're okay fighting Cosette on your own? Do you want me or Asaga supporting you?"

"No Chigara. I want you two staying with the Sunrider and take on the bulk of the pirate forces while I draw away the leader. Look, I'm not saying this to justify what Ava said yesterday about the whole lone wolf thing. Our plan is built around splitting up the enemy force so our own forces can eliminate them with minimal complications. My role in all this is keeping Cosette away from her pirates and make them an unorganized mass for the Sunrider, Black Jack, and Liberty. Yes, having either of you accompanying me would make my part easier, but it'd make it harder for the other team."

"Got it pal. But if you need help after we take out the base, call us and we'll come running." Asaga had slightly run forward and leaned forward with a teasing smirk on her face in front of Ryland as she walked backward.

"Ha. It's going to be the opposite situation Asaga. You're going to need _my_ _help_ when I finish off Cosette with both hands tied behind my back."

"Ooh, thems' fighting words right there buster! Care to add a wager to the mix?"

"I don't think so Asaga. You're going to throw something excessive under the table and when I win, you're the one going to be burned."

"Ryland kind of has a point there Asaga. Even though your compatibility with the Black Jack is exceptional, the Black Jack simply can't compare to Reaper. Remember that the Mining Union wanted that Ryder to be undefeatable to ward off pirate attacks by mere reputation, though because I made the specifications so advanced, it was impossible to pilot. I'm honestly amazed you can handle it Ryland, even with the power set so low."

"You're telling me. Considering that I'm going to be using the actual thing in a proper battle, I'm probably going to set max power at around 15 to 20 percent for the time being since I still need a lot of training to use it safely, though I honestly don't think all the training in the world would be able to help me reach its apex. I've truthfully been forgoing the idea of safety in the simulators since I've been using to gauge just how powerful Reaper is and decide on a safe parameter."

"Don't fret so much. Just take your development in increments and I'm sure you'll be able to use Reaper to its full potential."

"Thanks Chigara. Honestly, I'm amazed you were able to build such powerful Ryders by yourself. Do you mind telling me where you got your skill from? One of my friends would kill to have a chance of having such talents under her belt."

Hearing the question made Chigara hang her head low "I'm from Diode."

"Diode? But didn't that planet- _Oh_. I-I'm sorry Chigara. I didn't mean to bring up bad memories."

"I-It's okay. I've made my peace of what happened for the most part."

"But still. Diode. No wonder you're such a technical savant. Anyway, we're here. Time to focus on the mission."

* * *

Nodding in acknowledgement as they enter the bridge, they see Ava and Kayto at the CIC, approaching with Ryland in front and Asaga and Chigara flanking him

"I have to say, you three are really pulling off the style of professional Ryder pilots. Are you ready for the battle?"

"Yep. This hero of justice is ready to kick these crummy pirates to the curb. Give the order mah captain."

"Okay." Looking toward Ava, she activated the CIC as a map of Cosette's asteroid base appeared on the screen hanging below them

"We've done some scans and we've calculated the edge of the base's sensor range. It is considerable but it only stretches so far beyond the asteroid field so we are making this a key element of our plan. Before we enter sensor range, we are to deploy Reaper to maneuver far enough away to draw away Cosette Cosmos. With the leader away, the bulk of our forces will engage the pirates and neutralize their base of operations. Commander, your role in the plan is to keep the enemy leader on you. If you are given the chance to eliminate her, feel free to act upon it, but keep her from reuniting with the pirates."

"Acknowledged. In order to keep to the plan, I'm going to want to deploy immediately so I can reach these coordinates. Asaga, Chigara, Kayto, best of luck."

* * *

Turning his heel to exit the room and proceeding to the hangar to enter Reaper's cockpit, he grabbed the hardware necessary to operate the weapons and then the magnetism to keep his body still, he moved the ryder to the front of the hangar where the deployment shaft for Ryders stood

" **Deployment of ryder unit 0 dash 0: Reaper. ETA 3 seconds.** "

With the automated launch sequence completed, the ryder exited the Sunrider and proceeded to the specified coordinates outside the asteroid field a fair distance away from where the others will be launching their attack

"Hey Cosette, you want a piece of me? I'm waiting for you outside the asteroid field in a brand new shiny Ryder ripe for the taking!" ' _Heh, if she's as stupid and egotistic as I believe she is, she's going to fall for this hook, line and sinker._ '

A mere ten minutes passed and the heavily armored Havoc appeared from the asteroid field, facing down the dark ryder in Reaper as it powered up its chainsaw sword

"Hope you're not attached to that pretty little ryder because I am going to steal it from you EVANS!"

"Tell me Cosmos, who do you think I am?"

"Don't you play any of your sick mind games Lars! Here and now, I am going to ensure you die you fucker! You played such a huge part in ruining my life and I'm going to kill you, your bloody wife, and your good for nothing children!"

' _So she really does think that I'm my father. This is going to be fun. I suppose I should play along just to spite this girl._ ' Hiding a chuckle at the outburst from Cosette, even though he is fuming with anger at the mere thought of her harming any member of his family, real or not, with an inaudible promise that if she went along with this, he would run her through with a sword and not lose a wink of sleep, Ryland directed Reaper to draw its sword in a backwards style, the frame being miniscule, though it is another one of Reaper's secrets "Melee weapon configuration: Laser!" With the command, the top of the frame opened up as a beam of light crystallized into that of a razor sharp sword "You know what little girl. I'll be nice and let you make the first move."

Hearing Ryland's words only served to make Cosette squirm in extreme rage based on what he is hearing over the comm frequency he still has with the Havoc "D-Did you just-! OH THAT IS IT YOU PIECE OF SHIT! EAT MY ROCKETS AND MISSILES!"

His plan successful as he saw Cosette launch every rocket and missile she has access to, Ryland shifted all thoughts out of his mind to focus solely on the path of the projectiles as he quickly discovered a safe path amidst the missiles to dodge them so he can unleash his might against the rockets, proceeding through the path the barrage of missiles created despite it being a genuine needle in a haystack, though with the advanced navigation that Reaper is capable of, he is proceeding through with minimal complications until he reached the rockets as he spun in a 360 to slash the rockets in the warpath which results in a massive explosion that enveloped the ryder

"Ha! You are so freaking stupid to attack my rockets at point blank range with a sword! And here I thought you were supposed to be intelligent."

Thinking victory was hers, she arrogantly turned heel and began to return to her base, but stopped when she heard the sound of a sword being swung to the side, making her return sight to the explosion she believed claimed Reaper to see it completely unscathed from the explosion

"How the hell did you survive that?!"

"Quite simple really. This ryder is leagues more advanced than yours. There's no way pirate scum like you can harm me with such little care for strategy. Allow me to show you just what this ryder is capable of!"

Tightening his stance as he engaged the thrusters, quickly closing the distance as his laser sword is interlocked with Cosette's chainsaw sword though the advantage is soon lost as Ryland changes his stance to shatter the sword in half and with her melee weapon destroyed, he just as quickly destroyed the Havoc's missile and rocket bays in addition to the chaingun for both good measure and just to spite Cosette, taking the chance to accelerate backwards as his sword is pointed toward the unarmed ryder

"Game over Cosette. You've lost your weapons and your ryder is useless. Surrender and spread word of this ryder that transcends the concept of mortality. The ryder immune to death since it is his avatar! Spread word of the ryder: Reaper!"

Outraged at the humiliating loss dealt to her because of Ryland's ryder in addition to his taunting, she had no other choice but to retreat since staying would've likely resulted in her either dying or being captured, neither option being something she wants. Seeing her flee made Ryland smirk proudly, especially at how Cosette is not going back to the asteroid field and thus abandoning the force she had assembled, as he powered down his sword and sheathed it in the holster at its side, taking the opportunity to contact the Sunrider

"Sunrider, I've defeated Cosette and made her retreat. She's not moving to rejoin her forces so she's abandoning them. What's your status?"

"Excellent work Reaper. The Black Jack and Liberty are making easy work of the pirate ryders that had been summoned to defense and we've deployed our marines to capture any pirates that had remained behind in the base. We will be turning them over to the Mining Union. Rendezvous with us outside the base."

"Acknowledged Sunrider. On route to your location now."

* * *

With the battle against Cosette concluded, Ryland returned to the Sunrider which was docked by the asteroid base, seeing the Black Jack and Liberty entering the hangar moments before his arrival, quickly coordinating Reaper to dock with the carrier

' _Well, this will most certainly help cement Reaper's reputation as a fearsome foe that seemingly is unkillable. Have to say though, those rockets did far more damage to Reaper than I care to admit. While the frame appeared unscathed because of my quick acting, the blast rattled a lot of the software. I need to recalibrate it when I return to the Sunrider to repair the damage. Note to self, no doing anything so freaking reckless in future battles. It's fine acting without a single care against unorganized and ill-trained forces like pirates, but when we fight PACT, I need to be careful since they won't be so easy to overcome if I throw caution to the wind._ '


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: If anyone thought I was making Ryland & Reaper a tad too OP, this chapter should allay those thoughts at least a little bit.

* * *

With victory against Cosette's pirates attained with the enemy ryders destroyed (save Havoc which Ryland let escape), and the pirates captured and locked in the brig, the three ryder pilots returned to the Sunrider's hangar bay and synced themselves with their individual berths, Ryland seeing his fellow pilots exiting their ryders but when he disengaged the inertial dampeners which almost immediately sent shockwaves throughout his body, making him fall to the ground in pain, the sound of bones fracturing ringing out in his ears

"OWWWWW!"

Despite being paralyzed from his injuries, fortune smiled upon him when he overheard Chigara and Asaga talking on the other side of the frame

"Hey, isn't he taking his time getting out?"

"Yeah, we all linked up with our berths so he should've gotten out at the same time as us. Maybe there's a time lag? Let me see if I can open it manually."

After he saw the cockpit open, Asaga leapt in, landing next to Ryland as she took a brief glance at the pilot "Er, Chigara; I think Ryland's hurt! He's sprawn out in a real bad way!"

"I...I am...something fractured my bones. I can't move anything."

"Oh space whale! Chigara, go tell the Captain! I'll bring Ryland to the medbay!" Despite her being outright terrified by the sight in front of her, Asaga did her best to prop Ryland on her arm while trying to exit the cockpit, to no avail.

"Asaga...this isn't helping! Go get one of the marines and ask them to help."

"R-Right! Who's closest...Oh yeah! Sylas said he was going to watch over the prisoners in the brig. I'll be back in ten, no five, minutes, I swear!"

Despite the pain coursing through his body, Ryland couldn't help but weakly smile as Asaga gently set down in the Ryder in a comfortable position which is minimizing the strain on his body as she ran off, knowing that Asaga could have just as easily just dropped him to get Sylas that much faster.

"Heh, I'm lucky to have a friend and comrade like her."

* * *

Despite her bravado, it took nearly fifteen minutes for the pair to return, Sylas jumping down and quickly taking hold of Ryland, quickly exiting the ryder and slowly walking across the catwalk

"Got ya pal. Now I can finally pay you back for that one time back at the academy. I would've been forced to run across the crater in my smallclothes if you didn't step in. Honestly, it wasn't fair they accused me of such a claim when I lacked the skill to do it."

"Whatcha talking about?"

"All I can tell you about Asaga is that it was an information leak done by an outside source. The higher ups blamed Sylas since he had just arrived on-site a day prior, ignoring his background. I was one of the few who defended him. No offense Sylas, but you were a complete simpleton, there's no way you'd be able to pull off such a sophisticated leak."

"Hahaha, nope. I'm pretty much all brawn, no brain. Kinda comes with the territory of being descended from farmers. We're not exactly prized as scholars when manual labor is required on the fields. Don't get me wrong, I went to school so I have a basic education, but my physique was more important to my family."

"So why'd ya leave such a glamorous life if ya like it so much?" Asaga inquired rather sarcastically, keeping pace with Sylas as she supported Ryland's other side.

"Oh hardy har har. But to answer your question, a vicious typhoon ruined our farm. I applied to the military through scholarships to get some stable money flowing back. Being in the military is one of the highest paying jobs ever and I used it to send almost all my earnings back to them."

"Pretty nice of ya."

"Yep. They were able to rebuild within six months of me sending payments and they've used it to reinforce the buildings, to ensure that never happens again. Reinforced greenhouses, an underground passage so they can go to it in safety, and they even hired extra hands to tend the fields. All in all, they were sad to see me go, but necessity forced our hand." As they spent time talking in the elevator, exiting soon after "After about two or three years, they told me they didn't need me sending money anymore and to start keeping money for myself."

This conversation continued as they walk through the hallways, quickly finding themselves in the medbay

"Okay, now that we've brought Ryland here, I need to return to the brig. Got to keep an eye on the prisoners until we turn them over to the Union after all. I had to bring my squad leader to cover my watch to bring you here. Poor guy needs to sleep after the raid on the pirate base."

Right when Asaga had laid Ryland down on the bed, Kayto, Ava, and Chigara, the former and latter being frightful about his injuries while Ava was taciturn as ever.

"Ryland!" Kayto's own fright was evident on his expression alone, as he ran to Ryland's side much like Chigara.

"Heh, don't worry Captain. It's as if I just took a little flesh wound to the knee. Nothing I can't shrug off."

"Commander, I believe I didn't have to state the unspoken fact that you were to avoid injuries to this extent. You were granted a powerful Ryder but you senselessly jeopardized your safety. If you act so recklessly again, I will have no choice but to lock you out of your Ryder."

"Ava, that's going too far! Look, I know I was reckless in the battle, but remember that all the simulator training in the world can't beat real world experience! Sometimes you have to take calculated risks when you're dealing with the unknown. There is much about Reaper I will not be able to learn through simulated combat. No matter how sophisticated it is, there isn't any AI in existence capable of matching human ingenuity so I'm testing what I cannot in the chaos of battle before engaging PACT."

"Chigara, what exactly caused this in the first place? I was led to believe Reaper's armor plating should've prevented this kind of event from happening."

"Based on what I am able to gather, Reaper's special magnetism system, coupled with the neurological synchronization which allow Ryland to operate it, is what caused Ryland's injuries here. See, when Reaper suffered impact from Cosette's attacks, the magnet froze the damage, allowing it to escalate to what he has now. I designed that system myself, at the time I believed that it'd be the best fit for the design but after seeing what it does when it's actually deployed into battle, it's clear I need to change things. I need to alter the magnetism system in terms of damage or add some gel-like shielding."

"But is he going to be okay?"

"Don't worry Captain. All ryder suits nowadays have built-in medical systems. He's going to have stay here in the medbay here for about-" Chigara stopped as she pulled out a small modular scanner and ran it across Ryland's body "Two days to fully recover. If we had a trained doctor and equipment though, he'd likely be ready to go in about an hour and a half. If you'll excuse me Captain, I'd like to make the necessary modifications."

"Go ahead Chigara. Make sure Ryland doesn't go through this again."

* * *

Business being concluded, and Ava chewing him out enough, Kayto, Ava, and Chigara left the medbay leaving Ryland and Asaga by themselves

"Er, any reason you're not going back to your room or something Asaga? Didn't you want to play some Duel Creatures with the crew?"

"Not interested to be honest. It's boring if I may be frank."

"Now I know you're bullshitting me Asaga. You've played the game so much since coming onboard the Sunrider. Chigara even mentioned you've played it for years. Why are you so bummed out?"

Out of everything Ryland expected out of Asaga, namely some sort of funny jest like normal, he was not expecting her to begin sniffling as she trained her head low " _-So sorry._ "

"Er, come again Asaga? I didn't hear what you said there."

"I'm sorry Ryland! I'm so sorry! It's my fault you've been hospitalized! If I hadn't been so insistent on you piloting Reaper, you'd still be fine and-!" The sniffling that had been coming from Asaga evolved into outright crying.

"Asaga. Stop talking for a moment." Ryland spoke with grave seriousness as a means to get Asaga to calm down "You are not responsible for me being hospitalized like this. I was blinded by the power this ryder had and I let it get the better of me. I mean; It's _ANCIENT RYUVIAN_ technology! How often can you say you actually found some that works and is in such pristine condition like Reaper is?! Can you blame me for wanting to go wild and see just how much he can take under duress? I mean, in a short few days or possibly even weeks, the likelihood of us fighting PACT forces will be near absolute. They are not incompetent like the average pirate, they have an experienced military in their ranks. I need to know how far I can go while it's safe. If it were an average ryder, I'd never bother since it's already designed with a power limit, but, like Chigara said, Reaper has a history of hospitalizing its pilots. I need to establish an order of things to keep it from doing the same to me when we're at a critical moment."

Silence, aside from Asaga's sniffling, permeated the room for a short time after Ryland finished speaking

"You win."

"Huh?"

"The bet. You win the bet."

"But I didn't agree to-"

"You were interrupted before you said it so I can say you said yes. Since you won Ryland, you can ask any one thing of me and I'll obey. _Proudly_ if I may say."

' _Oh Ryuvian gods I don't like that cheshire smile of hers. When you combine that with the words she used; I really hope that girl doesn't has a dirty mind._ ' Ryland was apprehensive since he feels like Asaga was hiding ulterior motives behind this bet ' _I'm not as foolish as you think girl. I'm not playing your game!_ ' "Very well then. You're going to answer a question that's been on my mind for a little while now."

"Would it be if I'm still a vir-"

"Hell no! Q-Quit playing around you freaking…! Asaga, will you be serious for once?"

"Hehe, sorry. Ask me the question bugging ya pal."

"I've been suspecting this for a while now but I've been racking my mind a bit to try recalling old memories to make absolutely sure: Where'd you come up with the name Oakrun Asaga Di Ryuvia?"

Hearing this made the air become stiff with silence before Asaga was able to recover, her eyes becoming dewey with tears "Heh, you caught on faster than I originally planned. Glad to know you remember me Ryland, even if it took you practically forever to spill the beans. To answer your question, it was the maiden name of an old maid-servant who worked with my family. Not going to lie, I was a little discouraged when it seemed that you forgot since I haven't once. It was when you visited Ryuvia Prime ten years ago with your parents. You three really made an impact on our people when your parents took the offensive to fight off pirate forces in their ryders while you just plain excelled in the loaner we gave you to help our garrison. Of course, the part that really struck home for _me_ was how quickly you leapt to action when they broke through our lines in their shuttles, though it wasn't all...good considering what happened around then."

"Yeah...despite me rushing back to the surface after linking up with a transport, I wasn't able to-I...Asaga, I'm sorry I wasn't able to save your mother. Even when I was fighting off attackers, I still wasn't able to keep her safe. I wasn't as strong back then; it took everything I had to get you to safety since they were going after you after her. That failure haunted me for years and it really drove me to become stronger since I couldn't protect someone who was right next to me and I was forced to run like a coward. I swore to never find myself in a situation like that again so I trained myself in every way I could think of."

"Mmm" Asaga weakly shook her head in disagreement "Don't beat yourself up so much over that Ryland. You did everything you could in the situation you found yourself in. I mean, I'm alive thanks to you. I'm thankful to you for that at least." Just to emphasize, Asaga leaned in and gently hugged Ryland, carefully positioning herself as to not strain his body which needs recovery "This princess got to see the light of day because of your bravery, don't think that went unnoticed or even unappreciated."

"Asaga." Ryland was lost for words at the gesture being made toward him, feeling a little thankful of her pulling back immediately after.

"I'm going to get some food, you want me to get you anything?"

"I'm not picky really. Anything will do."

"Chef's choice huh? Okay, I'll be back as soon as I can, I promise."

"Don't rush yourself alright?" Ryland weakly laughed as he saw Asaga walk out of the medbay, leaving him in the room by himself "Ugh, I wish I asked to dim the lights a bit."

* * *

A few minutes pass as Ryland began to slowly close his eyes, but an unusual sound coming from the office had him immediately shift back to attention as a woman with waist-length pink hair and purple eyes, wearing an unmarked ryder suit colored the same as her hair

"What the hell?! How did you get on the Sunrider?!"

"Oh, you're awake? Guess I came too early. Meh, no point in me trying to change things up now. Morning sleepy head. Or is it evening? I'll stick with morning."

"What are you talking about?"

"Honestly, I came to give you a thorough thrashing for injuring yourself when you piloted Reaper for the first time in battle. I'm taking a gamble on you and I _want_ it to succeed! I've gone through hoops getting you into the mix here for a potentially better future for us all."

This only served to confuse Ryland further, especially what this mystery woman said at the end "Getting me into the mix? What the hell are you talking about?!"

"You're like a broken record, I swear. But I suppose when you've been left in the dark because of my machinations, you would be confused. Allow me to explain what I can. You see, I actually had a hand in your reassignment to the Sunrider from the Bohemian Princess weeks ago."

Ryland simply blinked in disbelief at her words "Okay, I'm calling security. You've clearly gone off the deep end if you think you're the one responsible for my transfer." But when Ryland was about to move out of his bed, the woman pulled out a small device and fired it at him, two small cords hitting his body, electricity coursing through and rendering him near unconscious

"Clearly this is not working. I need to adjust my approach in the future. Bye bye Ryland."

What little Ryland is able of registering is the woman walking back into the office and a burst of light emerging from said room as he slips into complete unconsciousness, recovering, albeit, with a stupor when Asaga returned with food. And although Ryland would have wanted to explain just what has happened with the mysterious ryder pilot, he feels like Asaga would write it off as him being delusional from shock so he decided to keep quiet until he can attain more information, though suspicions are already brewing in his mind

' _The woman mentioned going through hoops to bring me into the mix and taking a gamble on me. I can't comprehend how that could make sense conventionally unless...events transpired in less favorably ways? I can't bring myself to believe it's some kind of time travel since it just doesn't seem feasible, though there are always mysteries in this universe unknown to man, so maybe? Does that suggest that this woman came from a time where shit hit the fan? One where I had never gone to join the Sunrider and died alongside my fellow Ceran crewmembers to the Legion? Shit, this is becoming more somber than I originally realized; if so, I dodged a real fricking bullet. I wonder what other surprises I'm going to be forced to meet in this journey._ '

* * *

A/N: Ahaha, I love the combination of memes I hid in this chapter. Here's the challenge: Find the memes and the source of said memes. The first person to point it out will be credited in the next chapter. And since Sylas has made more appearances than I originally planned, I may as well list off details about him below.

Name: Sylas Powell

Age: 25

Rank: Ensign aboard the prototype carrier: Sunrider

Background Recognitions: Befitting his lineage to farmers, Sylas has no recognizable achievements prior to his enlistment but he has demonstrated an exceptional level of adaptability and determination to see any mission to a close but his lack of military training prior to enlisting in the scholarship program has restricted his ability to rise through the ranks since he has no proper leadership capabilities, though after witnessing the prowess capable of this farmer turned soldier, Cera's admirals had contemplated modifying the program to allow new enlistees from the frontier to develop proper skills under the tutelage of exemplary commanders and captains as a way to allow the enlistment of officers from less affluent families and in turn attempt to instill far greater variety of leadership that distinguished military families may lack because of a lack of experience outside their family-held traditions.

Profile: Even though the military doesn't necessarily require such styles, Sylas preferred keeping his dark brown hair to its roots out of what he learned through content that is normally deemed stereotypes, allowing his forest green eyes to have complete sight of his surroundings.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: First of all guys, I feel like I have to apologize since I feel like I could've been releasing these chapters a lot faster than I am at present. If you want to know the full story about this, I'll be including it at the end of this chapter for people who'd rather not get too involved in such trifles. Also, I was going to make this chapter about the first multi-choice sidequest in the game: whether to go after the slavers or going after the PACT comm relay but I just couldn't do it. I'm too burnt out right now and I need some serious rest from writing.

* * *

After recovering from his injury caused by Reaper's magnetism, Chigara informing Ryland that she has dismantled the entire system since it simply was far too risky to keep after what it had done to him, Ryland was quick to reassume his duties as Sunrider's CAG as he directed his two fellow Ryder pilots to join him in the ship's simulator with the desire to establish some team-building among the trio before they see combat against PACT, or any for that matter. Upon entering the room in question, Ryland, Asaga, and Chigara sat down on three of the special chairs arranged in a circle in the middle of the room, spending some time to talk before activating the simulators via pulling down helmets lying above them

"So how do you two want to go about this?"

"I think it would be prudent to establish some synergy among us Ryland. While I haven't used it much, Asaga and I have experience fighting together in the Black Jack and Liberty but we don't have any sort of experience fighting with Reaper. If we're going to be fighting PACT, we need to establish a rapport."

"Chigara's right. Reaper's a wild card we know nothing about in terms of combat. Every other pilot was hospitalized just from movement, you're the first to actually fight with him. Plus, we don't know how you Cerans fight with Ryders so this will be a learning experience for us both."

"Well, as your CAG, I suppose it's my job to make sure we can synchronize on the battlefield. Normally I'd think about setting up horde mode on the sim, but I think it's not a good fit for what we're trying to do right now. I'll set up a basic Imperial Ryder program with nine enemies; three for each of us."

"I see your intent here. You want us to focus on formations."

"Yeah. With only three of us, I'm thinking of using a Wedge formation. Reaper to our left, Black Jack on the right, and Liberty in our center and behind us. Tell me, how far can your shield generator reach out Chigara?"

"Liberty's shields expands out hexagonally and it's range is roughly three and a half to four times the size of the Sunrider. Furthermore, I designed it to only affect units I consider allies by coordinating with their own ID signatures."

"Hmm, not the greatest range since it could force Liberty to be in combat range of enemy craft, but it's pretty good considering the specs. I'd actually like to see the shield in practice instead of on paper. For a little while, I'm going to delay spawning enemies so I can understand just how far I can go before it exits shield range."

The plan decided upon, the trio put on their helmets to activate the simulator as they find themselves in the chairs of their simulated ryders, Ryland feeling at home, yet strangely detached from the experience because of the training he had been doing to fit for Reaper's custom made interface. It's as if he had been training for new software his company was developing but was suddenly told to downgrade to something two generations older since the magnetic sealing system Reaper uses was something Ryland was very much fond of as his training made this style of piloting far more prudent over factory norms even though the technology is almost constantly changing as Ryders become more and more understood by present day civilization. After experiencing this new interface, despite his training with the norm, Ryland has trouble coming to terms with the old since the new is much more advanced and accurate since it directly mirrors his own movements.

"Okay Reaper, advance seventy five degrees northwest. I'm about to activate the shield generator."

"Acknowledged Liberty. Moving into position now. Black Jack, I want you to remain autonomous since you are already familiar with Liberty's combat style."

* * *

Advancing in the specified direction, Ryland stopped as soon as his computer interface indicated he left shield range and studied the differing coordinates between Reaper and Liberty

"Okay Liberty, I'm going to record the coordinate distance between us in a databank later so I can keep it to memory. Once I keep the math locked in my mind, I can use that as guidelines to maximize safety regs. Even if Reaper is Ancient Ryuvian tech, I am not exactly going to take unnecessary risks anymore. I'm going to be acting as carefully as I was using Destiny."

"Destiny? Oh, that's your old Ryder right pal?"

"Yeah. One of my friends built it almost single handedly. Her name is Mei Watari; she was my engineering partner during my time at the Academy and she actually came with me and a few others on a sort of...field study I suppose you could call it. Of course, she had some help from other engineers building Destiny back during her tenure in the Academy's engineering program, but it was primarily her own genius behind the frame. Though, I will admit her skill is nothing to yours Chigara. As much as I am reluctant to say it so openly; primarily because of how green-eyed she gets in face of competition."

"Your friend's jealousy is that bad? Actually, do you could tell me about that field study? What was your subject about?"

"Er…the field study is a long story Chigara. It's rather confidential too. I shouldn't have brought it up really. All I can say is that it was a twelve member group that took place off-world. Me, Mei, my mom and dad, and a few others were in it. Erm, if you wouldn't mind Chigara, I'd like to focus on training."

"Sorry. I'll focus on the simulation. You're the one with the controls so we'll wait on you."

Upon returning Reaper in range of Liberty's shields, seeing the interface light up as the shield envelops him, and reassuming formation alongside the Black Jack, Ryland works the computer in front of him to bring about the creation of nine Imperial MK2 Ryders, assembled in packs of three flanking each individual Ryder in front of them all

"Okay Black Jack, Liberty, beam weapons only. Stay within shield range at all times and protect Liberty. Our primary focus is not to senselessly defeat the enemy forces; it's to keep a strong defensive line that enemy forces can't pierce through. While it's not possible without modding this simulator a little bit since it's still at factory defaults, let us simply pretend that we are defending an unarmed ship or we're trying to hold a chokepoint. Remind me to do that sometime this week Chigara."

"Yessir! Let's do it Chigara! Battle stations!"

With Ryland, Asaga, and Chigara solidifying their formation, Ryland opened the command console and spawned nine Imperial ryders fifty kilometres away from them, Liberty firing its beam rifle against the target second right from the center almost immediately as a means to disorient their ranks, followed by Black Jack doing the same to further scatter the right flank and on the opposite side, Reaper aimed two of its laser emitters in the direction of the enemy ryders in front of him, with quick, yet scattered, retaliation coming from them all.

"Great job Black Jack, Liberty! We've broken their formation! Now's the time to launch a counterattack. Full power to your laser emitters and take out the enemy Ryders. Black Jack, if any of them get too close to either you or Liberty, switch to melee armaments, but try to keep them from getting within that kind of range. I'll do the same on my side."

"Acknowledged Reaper. Asaga, I'm going to activate the Electronic Warfare suite. Give me some cover."

"Got it Chigara."

With the training session underway, it took very little effort for the trio to finish off the synthesized ryders; the simulation ending henceforth as their helmets rise off their heads.

"Good job you two. If we're able to maintain this level of cohesion in the real life battlefield, we're going to be a damn near unstoppable team."

"Oh heck yeah, hundred percent agree with ya pal! Anyway, I think it's time I get a bite to eat with Sylas and some of the other crew."

"And I should go do some maintenance on the ship before we get our next mission."

"Fair enough. See you Asaga, Chigara."

* * *

Seeing the two off, Ryland walked off toward his room, sharing the elevator with two fellow marines along the way as they made small-talk about random details. Upon making it back to his room, he opens his computer and opens up a number of windows

"Should I try seeing if I can get ahold of Mei? Mmm...bad idea I think. Cera's a PACT world now and they may be able to intercept any transmissions I send out. Hm, maybe if get ahold of Alissa? Wait, why would I need to? Mei and I know her encryption code. Only four of us even know of its existence."

Writing up the encryption code and a message underneath it, Ryland sent it out and was surprised to get a response almost immediately after

[Wow, you're going this far Hannelore? I haven't had to use that name in years; it's actually pretty nostalgic, not going to lie.]

[That I am Matriarch. Remember that PACT controls Cera so I have to be cautious.]

[Yeah yeah, Alissa filled me in. She told me about some new ryder you've got in your possession. A Ryuvian model?]

[Yeah. It's an Ancient Ryuvian reconstruction actually. I've named it Reaper.]

[Haha, nice name. If it's really Ryuvian, it must be leagues more advanced than Destiny.]

[Er...no jealous fit? I thought you'd be ticked at the idea of a better ryder being made by an engineer younger than you.]

[WHAT. That Ryder. Was made. By a. Younger engineer?! Hannelore, be glad you are on a starship far away from Cera because I am ticked to the point of kicking your ass.]

[Wha-Why?! That is not my fault in any way!]

[Look, on one side, I'm thrilled you found an excellent engineer to maintain such a powerful Ryder. _Don't_ _piss_ _that person off_. But you know that I have an obsession of being the best and I'm furious that my partner is with a rival engineer! Especially when this one is YOUNGER THAN I AM! I built your ryder almost entirely on my own and it was praised as one of Cera's best. But even that capability paled in comparison to Legion. If your current ryder is Ryuvian, it might actually be able to go up against such a beast and that's what's pissing me off the most right now!]

[Work on your jealousy some Matriarch. I don't really think of this person as extraordinarily exceptional. But look, there's a reason why I'm putting stock in this particular individual. She's from Diode.]

[Diode?! But- Didn't that planet get nuked in some sort of science experiment go wrong?!]

[Exactly. Some of the greatest scientists in the galaxy were at that research lab and this girl I'm working with is of their kin. Somehow she managed to survive the destruction and is among us. There's a lot of mystery going on and I'm determined to unravel these mysteries.]

[Best of luck Hannelore. Anyway, I need to ask, why contact me out of the blue?]

[Oh right. Do you think you'd be able to get me access to my father's files? I need to know if he had any sort of encounter with a particular pirate.]

[Geez, are you _trying_ to get me killed?! I had to hack into military archives to erase my credentials to avoid a draft when Cera fell to PACT. I've been hiding in the boonies acting as a traveling mechanic to avoid arousing suspicion.]

[So is that a yes Matriarch? You've always been a challenge seeker.]

[I hate you. _I hate you so much right now Hannelore!_ You know what, fine. Give me at least a week. I need to put out some feelers to find a backdoor into the archives without giving myself away. You're putting me through hell and I had better get some sort of compensation for this.]

[Thank you Matriarch. I'll arrange compensation through the Minion Union as a proxy. We do have some hidden dead drops outside the capital and the tundra academy. Pick one and I'll send the reward there.]

[You are the epitome of insanity you know? Not going to lie, but when you return home, I want first crack at that Ryder. I want to see if I can replicate anything of it into a brand new one. I already have a name planned: Providence.]

[No promises. You're asking for something that will likely take months and we might be in the grasp of war. There's...there's no absolution in such events.]

[Yeah...I'm aware. This isn't like some fairy tale story where I ask you to make such a promise and it'd come true in the end. Hell, I don't want it to be karma and make it inevitable. This is reality and anything can happen. I mean, we played a hand in creating PACT as it is now.]

[Yeah. What a way to appreciate our kindness. By nuking our capital and annihilating our fleet.]

[Oh yeah erm. Just to let you know, but some of the admirals survived the battle. I think I saw a casualty report somewhere- Oh yeah, got it here! Admiral Koris and Ariteru were killed in action. Both of the Evans admirals were reported captured and Admiral Noriyasu is MIA along with the Fearless.]

[T-They survived?! I thought PACT would've decimated the entire fleet!]

[Nope. Fearless and a few frigates escaped like your Sunrider though the rest of the survivors were impressed into PACT. In the public's eyes, they've gone rogue. It's entirely possible they may end up thinking of your ship as an enemy. Be careful Hannelore.]

[I will. But Matriarch, do not risk your safety for this request of mine. If it seems like trying to get the files jeopardizes you, stop at once and cover your tracks. No information is worth human lives.]

[Ehehe, don't patronize me you old wolf. Do you honestly think I'm that careless? I'll get you what you need and I'll be as invisible as a church mouse. Good luck out there partner. I'll look forward to seeing you back on Cera.]

[See you then Mei.]

* * *

A/N: I don't want to get too involved in my personal life but, to explain the situation I am in right now. Here's a basic idea of what I'm dealing with right now.

I've been working at my job almost daily starting this year since I'm practically full-time at this point, getting to and from the place takes up around three hours of my day. Often times now, I'm working about 6 to 7 ½, occasionally 8, hours a day, and with transportation being what it is for me, that takes up to about 9 to 11 hours and when you consider I like to get a full 8 hour sleep a day, that leaves only around 5 to 7 hours free on a work day. And after that much time working, I prefer to unwind playing games like say Fire Emblem on my 3DS or Rimworld on steam. Sure, I tend to get ideas crystallized in my head during my time working, but I just haven't been able to put it to words. Last of all, after this chapter, I am taking an indefinite break from all of my stories. I'm feeling burnt out and I need time to get over this; realize that I've been doing this almost daily to the best of my ability for the last 5 years. I quite simply need to reevaluate things for the future. Be aware that this will seriously impact my stories to some degree.


End file.
